A female soldier and her partner guard downtown Zamboanga in the southern Philippines January 02,2006. (Zamboanga Journal)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 02 Jan) -- Security remains tight in the southern Philippines against threats of attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and the regional Jemaah Islamiya terror network, officials said Monday.
"The threats of terrorism is always there. The Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya remain the biggest threats in our security," said Air Force Maj. Gamal Hayudini, a spokesman for the Southern Command.
Dozens of troops, including female soldiers, were spotted patrolling downtown Zamboanga. "We are just patrolling to make it sure that everything would be okay," one soldier told the ZamboangaJournal.
Hayudini said the government's anti-terror campaign in going on in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf militants in Jolo island, and tracking down Jemaah Islamiya terrorists in Mindanao.
"The Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya will continue to sow terror and chaos, and kill innocent civilians, and destroy government and civilian targets. We will not stop also in pursuing and destroying the terrorists. This is a continuing campaign and the war on terror will be sustained," Hayudini said.
The cities of Zamboanga, General Santos, Cotabato and Davao had been previously bombed by the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaaah Islamiya since 2000, despite a strict security blanket.
Authorities have repeatedly appealed to citizens to report any person acting suspiciously, or baggage suspected to contain explosives.
"The threats of terrorism is always there. The Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya remain the biggest threats in our security," said Air Force Maj. Gamal Hayudini, a spokesman for the Southern Command.
Dozens of troops, including female soldiers, were spotted patrolling downtown Zamboanga. "We are just patrolling to make it sure that everything would be okay," one soldier told the ZamboangaJournal.
Hayudini said the government's anti-terror campaign in going on in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf militants in Jolo island, and tracking down Jemaah Islamiya terrorists in Mindanao.
"The Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya will continue to sow terror and chaos, and kill innocent civilians, and destroy government and civilian targets. We will not stop also in pursuing and destroying the terrorists. This is a continuing campaign and the war on terror will be sustained," Hayudini said.
The cities of Zamboanga, General Santos, Cotabato and Davao had been previously bombed by the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaaah Islamiya since 2000, despite a strict security blanket.
Authorities have repeatedly appealed to citizens to report any person acting suspiciously, or baggage suspected to contain explosives.
Police and military also stepped up security patrol in many areas in the strife-torn, but mineral-rich region, to deter terror attacks.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has vowed to crush terrorism and destroy the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for the spate of attacks across the country. Manila is also a strong ally of the United States in its so-called global war on terrorism.
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