08/31/2002

EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10100

ABU SAYYAF ATROCITIES

The United States will help nations with the will to fight terrorism. The Philippines is one of America’s closest allies. The Philippine people are being terrorized by the Abu Sayyaf group, which has been linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Abu Sayyaf is a radical Islamic separatist group operating in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf attacks -- bombings, assassinations and kidnappings -- are marked by extreme violence and cruelty. Victims are often beheaded.

In the latest incident, Abu Sayyaf terrorists beheaded two of six kidnapped Jehovah's Witnesses who were reportedly selling cosmetics and herbal teas outside the town of Patikal, nine-hundred kilometers south of the capital, Manila. The heads of the victims, wrapped in plastic, were found in a market in the town of Jolo. The Philippine government is working to rescue the four women who remain in captivity.

Abu Sayyaf attacks foreign tourists and Philippine civilians, including women and children. In May 2001, Abu Sayyaf terrorists raided a tourist resort and abducted three Americans and seventeen Filipinos. Days later, they beheaded Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California, and several Filipino hostages. Thirteen months later, the kidnapping ended when Philippine soldiers tracked down the rebels. They rescued American missionary Gracia Burnham, but the terrorists are responsible for the death of her husband Martin and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap in the raid.

Despite such barbarism, the Abu Sayyaf terrorists have failed in their main goal: to intimidate the

people of the Philippines. The United States is committed to working with the Philippines to shut down this terrorist network. The U.S. is providing training and equipment to the Philippines military to improve Philippine capability to wipe out terrorist threats.

As President George W. Bush said, the U.S. "will use all our resources to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will be patient, we will be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination."