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CNN Saturday Morning News
President of Philippines Issues Orders to Finish Abu Sayyaf
Aired June 08, 2002 - 09:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, an order today from the Philippine president to her troops, finish the Abu Sayyaf rebels that held two U.S. missionaries hostage for more than a year. Martin Burnham was killed, his wife injured during a rescue attempt yesterday.
CNN's Maria Ressa has more on the war on terror in the Philippines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Several days ago, 42-year-old Martin Burnham wrote a letter to his children to say goodbye. That is what his wife, Gracia, will take home with her after more than a year in captivity. Her husband and fellow hostage, Deborah Yap, were killed in a rescue attempt.
In the U.S., President Bush called Philippine President Arroyo, who says her troops did their best.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She assured me that the Philippine government will hold the terrorist group accountable for how they treated these Americans, that justice would be done.
RESSA: That's what she's doing. On Saturday, she ordered her military to finish the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.
PRES. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, PHILIPPINES: Now is the time, because we -- in the past, the military always had to hold their fire because of the hostages. Now they can really be in hot pursuit, and they are doing that.
RESSA: They have help. More than 1,000 U.S. troops, including 160 special forces, here until July 31 to train Filipino troops. The Pentagon says the U.S. military helped plan the overall operation but emphasized no U.S. troops were involved in the rescue attempt.
Under the Philippine constitution, if any American soldier goes into actual combat, President Arroyo could be impeached.
Still, a proposal is on the table to extend the stay of U.S. troops and deploy them at the company level, in effect to bring them to the front lines. ARROYO: President Bush assured us of the continuing help of the United States in pushing our operations forward. We'll forge on with greater fervor and tenacity until the Abu Sayyaf is finished.
RESSA: Two weeks ago, the State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the arrest or conviction of any of the Abu Sayyaf's top five leaders.
(on camera): All five remain at large. More troops have been brought to the area, but they're operating in dense jungle. Without their human shields, the Philippine military says, it's only a matter of time before it finishes its mission, this country's contribution to the global war on terror.
Maria Ressa, CNN, Manila.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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