Philippines' military takes back night from militants

JOLO ISLAND, Philippines, Dec 3 (Reuters) It was swift and it was deadly -- a night-time assault on the rebel Abu Sayyaf Group cloaked in smothering jungle foliage on the restive southern Philippines island of Jolo.

''We got within 5 or 10 metres before they even knew we were there,'' recounted Brigadier-General Juancho Sabban, after a briefing over coffee and bananas on the edge of the former Abu Sayyaf Group encampment.

When it was over, half a dozen ASG militants were dead and the rest had scattered, leaving behind a trove of food, medicine and supplies, ready-made bombs and bomb-making material. There was one army casualty.

Sabban said night-vision goggles and training provided by the US military has turned the tables on Abu Sayyaf, who have long used their knowledge of the terrain in a campaign of kidnapping, murder and extortion beyond the reach of the security forces.

''They may own the jungle, but now we own the night,'' he said, surrounded by a detail of marines. US Special Forces, advisers to the Armed Force of the Philippines, or AFP, kept watch nearby.

American officials say any success on the ground against Abu Sayyaf and other militants in the predominantly-Muslim southern Philippines is not about isolated tactical victories.

''You win the war on terrorism not on the battlefield,'' said US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, back in Manila. ''You win the war when the population says we are not particularly interested in being part of that.'' Still, they are well aware they will be judged on whether they capture or kill top ASG leaders and a handful of Indonesian comrades, suspects in the deadly Bali bombings and other attacks.

All are believed to be hiding on Jolo.

And local activists, including the influential Moro Islamic Liberation Front, wonder out loud whether political empowerment will ever accompany security and economic gains.

BY THE BOOK Special Forces officers are particularly pleased that the AFP is now building a permanent base at the former Abu Sayyaf stronghold, part of an effort to isolate the militants and coax residents back to what has become a lawless, no-go zone.

''Not long ago, the AFP would have come in, stayed for seven days and left. Soon the bad guys return and you're back to square one,'' said one veteran US officer. ''This is a big change.'' Colonel David Maxwell, who heads the joint US military mission in the region, said the move was straight from the counter-insurgency handbook: ''Deny sanctuary, deny movement, deny resources, and separate the population from the insurgents.'' Behind that doctrine lies an ambitious package of community outreach, economic development, military pressure, and public relations that supporters say will give local communities a bigger slice of the economic and political pie.

''The AFP now understands the centre of gravity is the population,'' Maxwell said.

The Philippines and US governments host medical and dental clinics, renovate mosques and schools -- upgrading many now with Internet access -- build roads and drill wells. USAID, Washington's development arm, has dedicated almost two-thirds of its local assistance budget to the south.

'TERRORIST CLEARING-HOUSE' Some of these trends were already in place, but Sept. 11 concentrated attention on what analysts say had become a ''terrorist clearing-house'' in the southern Philippines.

Local groups hosted the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiah, the biggest militant organisation in Southeast Asia, exchanged know-how and regrouped out of sight of law enforcement.

With talks well underway with the main Muslim insurgent movement on Mindanao and a successful clean-up operation on the nearby island of Basilan, the island of Jolo, in the southern Sulu archipelago, remains the last major holdout.

And pressure is mounting to finish off ASG, initially an off-shoot of local Muslim insurgent groups but now best known for kidnapping and murder. Members of the group beheaded American tourist Guillermo Sobero in 2001.

Philippines intelligence officials say they believe ASG leaders and its Indonesian allies -- about 30 people in all -- have splintered into smaller units and are increasingly cut off from the main ASG force, estimated at around 250 strong.

With stepped-up naval patrols, backed by US spy drones watching the winding Jolo coastline, authorities are cautiously optimistic they will catch their quarry.

Meanwhile, they point to an upsurge in surrenders by low-level ASG elements, an increase in tips on militants' whereabouts from the community, and the disruptive effect of military operations that hamper further bombings, kidnappings, or other attacks.

''This operation is not a one-time shot,'' said General Ruben Rafael, commander of Philippines forces on Jolo. ''My mission is to neutralise the ASG. I am confident we will get them.'' REUTERS LL RN1231