Word: abu
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...Retreating and Regrouping Officials claim their program has destroyed command structures and smashed morale and that Abu Sayyaf no longer publicly names its leaders for fear that they will be killed. The program has also cut off funding from al-Qaeda and other allies. "It was Janjalani who established connections with al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah," says Sabban. "Now that he is killed there is nobody to replace him [as a go-between]. That's why we believe the organization is so weak. If we push it more, maybe we can finally eliminate it." Abu Sayyaf members are now said...
...include Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs, are spread throughout the Philippines. Inside a nondescript, windowless building at the task force's Jolo Island base, a half-dozen soldiers are studying laptops. A large screen on the wall shows the video feed from an unmanned drone cruising over potential Abu Sayyaf hideouts in the jungle. The U.S. troops give vital advice about operations but are barred from taking part in combat missions and must stay well beyond small-arms range in any firefight. Says one slightly disgruntled Special Forces soldier: "With our rules of engagement, if I saw Dulmatin...
...Causes for Concern Neither U.S. nor Philippine officials are claiming the fight is over. Abu Sayyaf members have vowed never to end their struggle and claim the group is rebuilding. Earlier this year terrorists attempted to bomb soft targets in Zamboanga city. The city's police director, Colonel Lurimer Detran, believes an attack in April, when bombs were planted at the Catholic cathedral and at a bank in the city, was definitely the work of Abu Sayyaf operatives. "We identified the suspects from composite sketches," he says. While no one was hurt in those attacks, on May 30 a bomb...
...While Abu Sayyaf's leadership seems to be lying low in the face of the rewards program, replacements have been found. Abu Sayyaf's latest leader is believed to be Yasir Igasan, an Islamic preacher in his 40s who was one of the group's founding members. According to a recent report by the International Crisis Group, Igasan has ties to wealthy donors abroad who could "recharge the flow of foreign funds" to the group. Authorities also believe J.I. members being sheltered by Abu Sayyaf are trying to recruit Filipino suicide bombers...
...Congressman Jikiri agrees that any talk of Abu Sayyaf's demise is premature. "How can anyone say they are destroyed when they are still there and are still very active?" he says. "In fact, they have been conducting fresh recruitment." Jikiri is a senior official of the Moro National Liberation Front, a former separatist group that gave up armed struggle in the late 1990s. Its peace deal with the government secured autonomy for some Muslim areas, which the group now governs. Jikiri is skeptical about the Manila-led effort to win local people's trust. "Life in Sulu is still...