Word: sayyaf
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...must strongly disagree with TIME's characterization of the Philippine troops' assault on the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping gang as a "debacle" [WORLD, June 17]. While the deaths of two of the three hostages are tragic, one, American Gracia Burnham, was able to return home to her children. And that occurred thanks to decisive action by our Philippine allies. Had the Philippine government decided to take a more passive course, all three kidnap victims would ultimately have been killed when they no longer served Abu Sayyaf's political ends. Now the path is open to exterminate what is left of that...
DIED. ABU SABAYA, 39, a leader of the Islamic guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf, responsible for the kidnapping of two Americans in the Philippines; reportedly shot in a gun battle at sea with government troops...
...Arroyo called off a search for the body of the Muslim rebel Abu Sabaya, believed to have died in a battle with Philippine troops at sea. The army said Sabaya's body was probably eaten by sharks. He was the main spokesman and one of the leaders of Abu Sayyaf, a guerrilla group that became notorious for using kidnappings in pursuit of its goal to carve out a Muslim state in the southern Philippines. President Arroyo also announced that the army had overrun four Abu Sayyaf camps on the island of Jolo. SOUTH KOREA Border Battle At least four South...
...longer are American hostages, there is less reason for military advisers to be on the ground. But they were sent as part of President Bush's war on terror, not only to help free the Burnhams but also to assist in Manila's pursuit of kidnapping gangs like Abu Sayyaf and fundamentalist Muslim separatist groups with links to al-Qaeda's web of terror. Washington was in no mood to second-guess the Philippine army's efforts. "The Burnhams have not been well, and they lived in captivity a long time," said U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "It seems...
...yearlong hostage drama now frees the Philippine army, with or without U.S. assistance, to pursue Abu Sayyaf more aggressively. Although the group is thought to have only about 200 members, it has bedeviled successive Philippine governments in recent years, carrying out kidnappings and otherwise terrorizing local residents. Manila has sent reinforcements to the region, hoping that a final showdown is near. But Abu Sayyaf has shown an uncanny ability to evade capture in the jungle--and continue its reign of terror...