This developed as government troops overran an Abu Sayyaf camp near Lantawan town in Basilan following Saturday’s fighting that left at least five suspected terrorists killed.
Intelligence reports have it that Abu Sayyaf hit men have slipped into Zamboanga City to carry out the attacks on government installations and public places, including Catholic churches.
A crackdown conducted over the past few weeks in the city netted at least seven suspected Abu Sayyaf members believed to have been deployed to execute the terror plot.
The authorities did not rule out, however, the possibility that the Abu Sayyaf spies were sent to Zamboanga to monitor the movements of US Special Forces participating in the ongoing joint military training exercise dubbed Balikatan 02-1.
Capt. Noel Detoyato, deputy spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Southern Command (Southcom) based in Zamboanga, said the Americans have their own "force protection plan" against any attacks.
Detoyato said the authorities have anticipated the possibility of terror attacks during the Lenten season and have tightened security measures to thwart them.
He said Southcom chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu has directed the police and the military in Zamboanga and Basilan to set in place a maximum security plan, including beefing up security personnel.
Meanwhile, Southcom spokesman Col. Roland Detabali said the troops stumbled on the terrorists’ camp as night fell, and found the bodies of five Abu Sayyaf gunmen abandoned by their fleeing comrades.
The troops retrieved from the camp four backpacks, foodstuff and cooking ware, 50 rounds of Armalite bullets, two jungle hammocks and four improvised tents.
The bandits reportedly fled toward a hinterland village.
"Pursuit operation is ongoing and we expect more clashes any time," Detabali said.
Reports from the field said there were no signs that the three remaining Abu Sayyaf hostages had been there.
The military shrugged off reports that the hostages had been taken out of Basilan, saying it was mere disinformation to mislead the troops.
Military officials cited reports that a woman was spotted with the fleeing Abu Sayyaf gunmen during Saturday’s clash in Lantawan which left five suspected terrorists dead and seven soldiers wounded.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits have been holding American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipina nurse Deborah Yap for 10 months now.
Martin’s father Paul Burnham and the couple’s children appealed yesterday on local radio station for the safe and immediate release of the hostages.
"We are hoping that they will be released soon. The children really do miss their parents," the elder Burnham told Radio Mindanao Network.
One of the Burnham children, John Paul, said he wanted to let the captors know that he terribly misses his parents.
"I miss my mom and I miss my dad. So if you could please let them free, please let them go. Dad and mom, if you are listening now, I want you to know that I love and miss you and pray for you everyday."
The Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, is the object of joint maneuvers in Basilan where 160 US elite Special Forces are advising and training their Filipino counterparts in anti-terrorism warfare.
Another 500 US servicemen are on standby in Zamboanga City to provide logistical and technical support to their comrades at the warfront in Basilan.
The frequency of clashes heightened as elite units of the AFP stepped up their search and rescue operations for the three remaining Abu Sayyaf hostages.
Aided by satellite data and modern surveillance equipment including unmanned spy planes brought in by their American military advisers, the Filipino soldiers enhanced their capability in tracking down the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who have been on the run since the military offensive involving at least nine battalions was launched in July last year.
Detabali said the operations have reached "critical point" as indicated by increasing number of "contacts" with the enemy, adding that the
troops were closing in on the main Abu Sayyaf group on Basilan island and would deliver the fatal blow once they catch up with the bandits.
"We are now reaching the critical point of the operation. We have more or less pinpointed the main group of the enemy," reiterated Southcom spokesman Lt. Col. Danilo Servando yesterday.
"What was lacking is the actual sighting of the hostages," he added.
Army Rangers clashed on Thursday with about 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen believed holding the three hostages
The firefight which took place in a remote village near Lantawan left seven soldiers wounded. No casualty figure on the Abu Sayyaf side was immediately available.
Capt. Detoyato expressed belief that the Abu Sayyaf band led by Hapilon Isnilon and Hamsiraji Sali went to Lantawan to establish contacts with ransom negotiators.
Detoyato said except for the capital city of Isabela, other places in Basilan have poor communication signals.
In another development, combined military and police elements seized on Saturday some 850 kilos of explosive powder in Barangay Manabay, Ozamis City.
The cache was confiscated at about 9:45 a.m. while the combined team was conducting routine inspection of cargoes at the city’s waterfront.
The shipment, packed in 17 sacks weighing about 50 kilos each, was manufactured by Bataan-based Urica Explosive Philippines.
The shipment was declared as "animal feeds" and consigned to a certain Riny Yu of Pagadian City. - With AFP report