Arroyo orders end of Abu Sayyaf

Arroyo orders end of Abu Sayyaf

Mrs Arroyo says her military can meet the deadline

The Philippines President, Gloria Arroyo, has given her armed forces 90 days to end the threat posed by the Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebel group.

Mrs Arroyo warned that commanders who failed to perform would be replaced.

The deadline was announced as US military instructors prepared to deploy to the Philippines to train local troops in their campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, whom the US accuses of harbouring links with al-Qaeda, but whose main activity is kidnapping for ransom.

Controversy surrounds the US troops' exact role, after US officials said last week that American troops may engage with combat, although this was denied by Manila.

The BBC correspondent in Manila, John Mclean, says government officials have set similar deadlines against the Abu Sayyaf several times in the past, but they have always run out with the group still intact.

But Mrs Arroyo said on Friday that she was confident the Abu Sayyaf could be defeated within the allotted time.

She pointed out that the military succeeded in capturing the stronghold of another rebel group - the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which the army is also currently in combat with - by a deadline last month.

"They follow deadlines very well... I told them to capture Buliok in three days and they did. So I suppose if they do the proper allocation of resources they will be able to finish the threat of the Abu Sayyaf," she said.

The armed forces have been trying for years to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf, which comprises around 400 members. The group is currently holding a handful of hostages - at least four Filipinos and three Indonesians.

Many in the Philippines object to a US military role in the conflict

The armed forces chief of staff, General Dionisio Santiago, said the deadline was "feasible with an element of luck".

He said the military would deploy more troops to Sulu province, including Jolo island - the Abu Sayyaf's stronghold.

"We'll set goals, find out the reasons for non-accomplishment. Commanders will be replaced if they are not performing," General Santiago said.

Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes said earlier this week that the deployment of US troops to the southern Philippines would be delayed until their exact role could be established.

He is currently in Washington to discuss the details of their military exercise.

A US-backed Philippine offensive last year on Basilan island was credited with breaking up the main faction of the Abu Sayyaf.

But anger at the planned joint exercises is reportedly running high among the Muslim majority in the area.

At an anti-war demonstration in a Manila park on Friday, some of the 15,000 protesters were demanding an end to the collaboration.