SINGAPORE (AFP) - A combination of military action and development projects is key to defeating the global threat from terrorism, the Philippine defense chief said Sunday, citing his country's experience against the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said development projects carried out in parallel with military operations had improved the level of trust between the government and local communities, constricting the once-unhampered operations of Abu Sayyaf on the southern island of Jolo.
Local communities provided troops with information on the whereabouts of the militants, leading to the killings and arrests of their top leaders, Ebdane told an international security conference in Singapore.
Ebdane said the killing last year of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani during a gun battle with troops on Jolo had caught the world's attention.
Another top Abu Sayyaf leader, Abu Solaiman, was killed by government troops earlier this year.