AFP intensifies anti-terrorism drive in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines – Armed Forces chief Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. ordered the deployment of Army’s Special Forces in Sulu on Wednesday to bolster its anti-terrorism efforts in the province.

“We want to have enough forces to address any threat that will be posed by the Abu Sayyaf here,” Colonel Noel Clement, Commander of the Army’s 501st Brigade based in Sulu said.

The Al-Qaeda linked terror group is believed to be currently holding 12 civilian hostages, including five foreigners.

Clement said that the deployment does not mean they would launch a rescue operation for the hostages.

The operations are to make sure that trouble “won’t spill over other areas,” he said.

“The 100-men strong elite unit of the Special Operations Command will be placed under control of the Army’s 501st Infantry Brigade that is based in Busbus, in the capital town of Jolo,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a separate statement.

The Special Forces of the Philippine Army, considered as elite warriors, are adept in long-range reconnaissance, sniping and infiltration. The SF soldiers deployed to Sulu will be coming from Zamboanga.

On Tuesday, the military also deployed K-9 units, consisting of 10 tracking teams. They were intended to help in tracking terrorists in Sulu.

Last week, the military deployed a brigade or about a thousand Army soldiers in Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu as part of its realigning efforts in order to focus on areas affected by armed conflicts.

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