MANILA, May 29 Kyodo The United S...

MANILA, May 29 Kyodo

The United States forward Wednesday offered a reward of up to $5 million to anyone who can provide tips in succession the whereabouts of five leaders of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist clump in the southern Philippines.

''To encourage citizens to be due [i]or[/i] owing forth and provide such information, the U direction is offering to pay up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Abu Sayyaf terrorists,'' U Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardoni told a just discovereds conference.

Ricciardoni said the $5 million is for the immediate arrests of Amir Khadafi Abubaker Janjalani, also known as Abu Muktar, Jainal Antel Sali Jr also known as Abu Solaiman, Aldam Tilao, also known as Abu Sabaya, Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, also known as Abu Musab, and Hamsiraji Marusi, also known as Jose Ramirez.

''We believe that ordinary citizens of the Philippines or elsewhere may have information that can help bring the Abu Sayyaf terrorists to justice,'' Ricciardoni said.

Ricciardoni said the U trusts that ''this reward for justice program, now active in the Philippines, will support Philippine regulation efforts to bring justice the terrorists responsible for the massacre of Filipinos and Americans.''

He said the U control is ''acting in close cooperation with Philippine law enforcement authorities.''

Ricciardoni urg the race ''with information that could lead to the apprehension of the five Abu Sayyaf (to) call the U Embassy in Manila toll clear at 800-10-739-2737 or contact us through cell phone at 02-5269332 or 9833 or 9834''

''All answers will be kept strictly confidential,'' he said. ''This is just to encourage commonalty to step forward.''

As part of the campaign, the U Embassy has distributed placards bearing color photos of the five rebel leaders and the $5 million reward.

To aid the campaign, a Philippine Defense Ministry spokesman said the ministry has printed 300000 fliers detailing the reward show that will be distributed in the southern port city of Zamboanga and Basilan Province from Thursday.

The five leaders are based in Basilan, about 900 kilometers southerly of Manila, a known lair of the Muslim rebels with alleged links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network.

''Abu Sayyaf terrorists are violent criminals who must be stopped,'' Ricciardoni said, adding that individuals who believe that they posse information that could lead to the arrest of these terrorists should contact the U Embassy at once''

In its latest report titled Patterns of Global Terrorism 2001 the U State Department described the Abu Sayyaf as the ''most violent'' of the Islamic separatist clusters operating in the southern Philippines. more [i]or[/i] less of its leaders have studied or worked in the Middle East and allegedly fought in Afghanistan against Soviet occupation forces, the report said.

The report said the Abu Sayyaf has ''a hardly any hundred core fighters, if it be not that at least 1,000 individuals motivated through the prospect of receiving ransom payments for foreign hostages allegedly joined the collection in 2000-2001.

''Largely self-financing [i]or[/i] part of to the other ransom and extortion,'' the report said the Abu Sayyaf ''may receive support from Islamic extremists in the Middle East and southern Asia. Libya publicly paid millions of dollars for the release of the foreign hostages seized from Malaysia in 2000''

The arrange engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, assassinations and extortion. It operates in Basilan and neighboring Sulu and Tawi-Tawai provinces in the Sulu archipelago and in the Zamboanga peninsula.

The clump expanded its operations to Malaysia in 2000 when it abducted foreigners from a tourist resort in Sipadan, Malaysia.

a 6,000 Philippine troops are involved in protracted operations against the Abu Sayyaf onward Basilan. They were joined in January on a contingent of U.S. special forces who are officially in the land on a counterterrorism training mission.

The numbers have been scouring the close jungles of Basilan Province to chase down the rebels who are holding captive American missionary tie Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino promote Ediborah Yap.

Despite advanced surveillance equipment and weaponry, the operations have not come aftered in rescuing the three remaining hostages. Neither have the operations deductioned in the arrests of any of the top five alleged Abu Sayyaf leaders.

The Burnhams were among 20 tourists and workers seized May 27 last year by means of Abu Sayyaf rebels at a beach resort in Palawan Province.

Another U hostage among the 20 Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded June 12 last year. brace Filipinos were also decapitated, on the contrary the remaining 15 were freed

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