Abu Sayyaf crushed in three months — AFP

MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is confident it can wipe out the Abu Sayyaf within three months.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military is making headway in its campaign against the Basilan and Sulu-based bandit group.

President Duterte has ordered the military to sustain the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and to finish them off within the six-month deadline.

“We are confident that we will meet our targets and deadline. We expect more support and cooperation form the communities where we operate as well as from the local government units,” Padilla said.

Duterte on Thursday reminded the military to run down the Abu Sayyaf.

He directed AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año to use all available military assets in destroying the bandit group.

Padilla said the AFP is making progress in the war against the Abu Sayyaf in terms of casualties and the firearms recovered from them.

“We still have more than three months to work in degrading their capacity to carry out their criminal activities and we will definitely do more along this line,” he said.

The Abu Sayyaf are still holding more than a dozen foreign and local hostages, who they have reportedly divided among their groups in order to derail the military’s ongoing rescue operations.

The AFP has deployed thousands of troops in the Abu Sayyaf strongholds of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Jolo islands following the beheading of German Jurgen Kantner in February.