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Article: American troops head to Philippines to help crush Abu Sayyaf.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- January 21, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Uli Schmetzer
MANILA_The Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, of the southern Philippines, the newest target of U.S. troops, are a brutal lot. They lock their hostages in windowless huts, decapitate those for whom ransom is not paid and mutilate the bodies of Filipino soldiers.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo defines the Abu Sayyaf as "a money-crazed gang of criminals." The group's barbarism and mercenary bent, according to Western diplomats and other experts, have cost the guerrillas the funding they allegedly once received from al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.
Nevertheless, the campaign against international terrorism is bringing American ...