Marines intensify operations vs. Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

From  the Philippine Star (Oct 31): Marines intensify operations vs. Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

Marine troops have intensified pursuit operations against Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah believed to be holding seven kidnap victims in Sulu province, a senior naval officer said. Rear Admiral Armando Guzman, chief of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), which is overseeing the Marines' operation in Sulu, said naval blocking operations also continued in the coast of Sulu to prevent the militants from slipping out of the province. “This is a normal combat operation designed to constrict the movement of the Abu Sayyaf,” Guzman said. Marines encountered a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits over the weekend. Ten bandits and four Marines were killed in the six-hour encounter in the hinterlands of Patikul town. Guzman said that part of the campaign plan was the massive civil-military operations to win the hearts of the villagers and pressure the militant group from merging with the community....

http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=200&articleId=865438