Arroyo Rallies Troops for Final Push Against Abu Sayyaf

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Arroyo Rallies Troops for Final Push Against Abu Sayyaf

President Gloria Arroyo flew to the southern Philippines on Tuesday to rally soldiers for a final push against Abu Sayyaf guerrillas after a bloody end to a year-long hostage crisis.

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President Gloria Arroyo flew to the southern Philippines on Tuesday to rally soldiers for a final push against Abu Sayyaf guerrillas after a bloody end to a year-long hostage crisis.

Mrs Arroyo arrived mid-morning in the southern port city amid heavy security and drove directly to a military hospital to visit seven soldiers and a civilian guide wounded in last week's rescue of US missionary Gracia Burnham.

Zamboanga, on the tip of the Zamboanga peninsula, is the staging ground for the military campaign against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf group who scattered after Friday's firefight in which Mrs Gracia Burnham's husband Martin Burnham and a Filipina captive, as well as four rebels were killed.

US and Filipino soldiers guarded the entrance to Camp Navarro, the headquarters of the southern Philippines military command.

Mrs Arroyo toured the base hospital, briefly shaking hands with the wounded soldiers and inspecting their wounds.

Later, the president was to meet with the southern Philippines military chief, Major General Ernesto Carolina, before flying to the nearby Abu Sayyaf stronghold of Basilan island for an overnight visit.

There she was scheduled to attend the wake for nurse Ediborah Yap, the slain Filipina hostage.

Officials have said the group of about 60 gunmen that held the Burnhams hostage for 376 days remained in the general area around Sirawai town on the peninsula.

US President George W. Bush sent 1,000 US advisers to the south in January to help Manila crush the Abu Sayyaf, described by both governments as a terrorist group with links to the Al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

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