Child warriors

It is so sad because according to the military, Abu Sayyaf members are getting younger. In recent encounters, the ASG fighters are barely out of their teens. The military said that because of the dwindling number of legitimate members who have either died or disabled, the ASG is recruiting members, most of them very young.

The fighters are also said to be drugged, as a marijuana plantation was discovered in an area where the ASG operates. Perhaps these youths are not only forced to smoke marijuana but are also being given other drugs, to make them more violent especially during encounters and operations against the government.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Capatang said these minors are doing kidnapping and bomb-making, which should not be their ambition in life. The ASG is very destructive, sparing no one, to boost their ranks. — Niño S. Solata, Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City