A military operation against a senior Abu Sayyaf leader had to be called off because it had been compromised and because troops needed to rest after 14 days of continous operations, a military commander in Sulu said Sunday.
Col. Allan Arrojado, commander of the Army’s Joint Task Group Sulu, said operations against Radullan Sahiron, one of the senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, and his men were halted Sunday morning.
The order came hours after soldiers engaged Sahiron’s advance party in a barangay in Indanan town around 12:30 a.m. A soldier was wounded while the Abu Sayyaf incurred an undetermined number of casualties, Arrojado said.
The military was acting on information that Sahiron and his men were proceeding to Indanan town to link up with other Abu Sayyaf members.
“We (military) went ahead of them, we were supposed to ambush them. But the main group didn’t go first. The advance party came first. The fighting warned Radullan and [he] withdrew (to the south),” Arrojado said.
Arrojado said the decision was also meant to give the troops the time rest, refurbish their equipment and resupply their ammunition.
“Of course, after 14 days of operation, our troops have to go down from the mountain and rest,” he said.
“Of course, after 14 days of operation, our troops have to go down from the mountain and rest,” he said.
He said, though, that the soldiers from the elite Army 1st Scout Ranger Battalion are keeping an eye on the Abu Sayyaf and are ready to reengage the group if necessary.
Sahiron is one of several Filipino terrorists wanted by the US government, which has offered $1 million for information leading to his arrest. He is linked to the kidnapping of three Americans and 17 Filipino tourists from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan in May 2001 and other incidents.
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