Chief of Staff Catapang: Getting the ASG will happen. 'Just be patient.'

From InterAksyon (Oct 20): Chief of Staff Catapang: Getting the ASG will happen. 'Just be patient.'

The commander of a military task force assigned to pursue the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu and rescue 10 hostages, three foreigners among them, that they have kidnapped detailed on Monday the difficulties he said government forces are up against.

"We will try our best to go after them," Colonel Allan Arojado, Sulu island commander, told journalists.

Two Army brigades, or more than 3,000 soldiers, have been deployed, mainly to the town of Patikul and have been operating since Saturday last week following the release of German hostages Viktor Estefan Okonek, 71, and Henrike Dielen, 55, Friday night.

Thus far, government forces have come upon two abandoned Abu Sayyaf camps but have yet to engage the extremist fighters in a direct confrontation.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr said Monday, "It will happen. Just be patient."

Arrojado described the Sulu theater thus: "Imagine Jolo Island is as big as Metro Manila, and the ASG and the hostages are, say, in the city of Makati. When we get to where they are, they have already slipped through to Caloocans City. And its thickly forested out there."

Still, Arrojado stressed, the discovery of the two abandoned camps was a "positive" sign.

"We have penetrated to camps that have not been patrolled for a long time. We are closing on them, gradually but surely."

Besides, Arojado added, "the Philippine Army has not been present here in significant terms for almost eight years. That's probably one reason they have grown so bold."

Lt Col. Harold Cabunoc, AFP Public Affairs Chief, also said the troops had to be "very deliberate" in their movements because of the danger of booby traps, improvised explosive devices and landmines that the Abu Sayyaf may have planted as they retreated.

Explaining why there have been no engagements yet, Cabunoc said that the Abu Sayyaf have been known to mingle with the civilian population as a core strategy to evade security forces, which behooves the government troops to be careful about possibly harming civilian non-combatants or the remaining hostages when it tried to bring "indirect fire" like artillery to bear on the Abu Sayyaf.

Asked if there was a timeframe for the operations in Sulu, Cabunoc replied in the negative: "There is no timeline, but it will continue until we get back the hostages and bring them to justice. That is the end state."
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/97610/chief-of-staff-catapang-getting-the-asg-will-happen--just-be-patient-