Philippines Marines adopt attrition tactics

Manila: Marines pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu will not allow the militants breathing space as part of a new tactic that focuses on eroding the latter's fighting capability through attrition.

Marine Commandant Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino said marines will change the strategy in rooting out Abu Sayyaf from its strongholds in Southern Philippines.

Previous tactics employed in Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf were based on the doctrine of simply containing the threats but Dolorfino said under the new tactic, militants will be pursued in areas where they are known to be seeking refuge, and taken out until their fighting capacity is severely diminished.

According to Dolorfino, marines often do not pursue Abu Sayyaf fleeing from a firefight. This allows the militants to rest and regroup.

Marines would often hunt down the Abu Sayyaf, engage them in battle and then allow the militants to break into smaller groups and flee.

Under the new tactic, however, there will be no let up in the operations against the Abu Sayyaf until the military assesses that they have whittled down at least half of the militant's ability to fight.

"We should be more decisive, meaning in every engagement, enemy casualties should be 50 per cent or more," reports quoted Dolorfino as saying.

A significant change in how the government forces confront the Abu Sayyaf took place last year after the marines were given full responsibility for Sulu's security.

Previously, the marines shared responsibility with the army in ensuring security in Sulu. This set up had resulted in inter-service rivalry which often affects the conduct of operations.

The marines now have full security responsibility in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

"I told the brigade commander and also our battalion commanders that they need to modify the way they fight the Abu Sayyaf," Dolorfino said.

Dolorfino says around 300 Abu Sayyaf militants remain in Sulu, mainly concentrated in the town of Indanan.

The army and the marines as well as the navy have been fighting the Abu Sayyaf in southern Philippines' Sulu and Basilan since the mid-1990s.