The military called on the Abu Sayyaf on Thursday to surrender or perish in a massive operation aimed at crushing the terror group and rescuing several hostages in the jungles of Sulu province.
Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS) told members of the BaSulTa Sub-Regional Human Rights Commission (RHRC) and the International Monitoring Team (IMT) that the plan was to force the Abu Sayyaf to disband or face a massive assault involving over 9,000 soldiers.
The RHRC and IMT visited the task force’s headquarters at Camp Bautista this week.
Successive clashes in Sulu recently resulted in the death of many Abu Sayyaf members, including the notorious Muktadil brothers, and the arrest of group leader Pauji Asgari in the town of Talipao early this week.
Humane treatment
“The humane treatment of our soldiers of the arrested Abu Sayyaf members is proof of the commitment of our troops to respect human rights and protect the lives of others, even of criminals,” JTFS commander Brig. Gen. Arnel dela Vega said.
He called on the Abu Sayyaf gunmen to “surrender and stop these kidnappings and all un-Islamic activities so they may live, atone for their crimes and be with their families.”
“We are all losers in this war, especially the victims and the people of Sulu. Our soldiers die, many more on the Abu side are killed and those who suffer most are the victims and innocent people being displaced due to the atrocities of the group,” Dela Vega said.
Casualties
A total of 36 Abu Sayyaf members have been killed while scores have been wounded since operations began in July.
On the AFP side, 15 soldiers have been killed in action while 28 were wounded.
The assaults also led to the rescue of 16 hostages, although 12 remain in Abu Sayyaf custody in the jungles of Jolo.
Recently, 21 terrorists from Basilan province surrendered after military chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya called on the Abu Sayyaf to lay down their arms and turn over a new leaf.
Acting on a tip
The JTFS said Asgari was arrested this week by troops acting on a tip from local residents.
Recovered from him were an M16 assault rifle, ammunition, a combat pack, motorcycle and Marine battle dress attire.
It said Asgari gave up peacefully and his mother showed up at the camp to ensure he was not harmed while in detention.
“It’s good he did not resist. He and his mother are now glad he is alive. We don’t want anyone being killed but if he tried to shoot at us, we would have no choice but to shoot back,” the JTFS said, quoting one of the soldiers.
The JTFS said it assured the rights monitors that soldiers were complying with human rights, international humanitarian law and the rule of law.
It said there were reports indicating that many Abu Sayyaf members wanted to surrender but they were told by their commanders that government troops would hurt them.