Military chief General Hermogenes Esperon crosses out the photo of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sulaiman during a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila January 17, 2007.(Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    MANILA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A key leader of the Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf wanted by the United States government had been killed by elite government forces following a fierce clash in the jungles of Talipao town in the southern island province of Sulu on Tuesday, said Philippine military Wednesday.

    Philipine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the military now expects the terrorist activities of the Abu Sayyaf to "go down considerably" because of the death of Jaenal Antel Sali, popularly known as Abu Solaiman.

    An engineer by profession, Solaiman had a 5 million U.S. bountyfor his capture dead or alive offered by the United States government. He also had three pending arrest warrants issued by Filipino authorities for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

    Esperon said Solaiman is considered more dangerous than the traditional Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who had been reportedly killed by Philippine soldiers in Sulu town of Patikul town in September last year.

    "I would rank him as even higher than Khadaffy," he said, adding Solaiman was the supply officer and the overall leader of the Abu Sayyaf's urban terror activities.

    "The effect of this is that they will have to find somebody, if they could, of his caliber," he said.

    Solaiman was killed in a "furious and sudden" operation launched by government forces Tuesday morning at Mt. Dajo against some 60 Abu Sayyaf terrorists. The operation also resulted in the seizure of a bomb-making factory of the Abu Sayyaf consisting of 17 huts, bomb-making paraphernalia, explosives, ammunition, other war materiel, and documents with "high intelligence value", said Esperon.

    He said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is happy to learn thenews of the death of the terrorist. "The president is congratulating all our troops in Jolo, including our Marines, our Navy people, the Air Force people and the army people," he said.

    Esperon said the troops acted on information provided by local "informants" and were helped by the "technical capabilities" of United States forces in Mindanao, southern Philippines, where U.S.military experts are training Filipino forces in anti-terrorist operations.

    He said the Special Forces soldiers buried the lone body recovered from the encounter site, unaware that it was Solaiman, after taking pictures of the cadaver.

    The pictures later reached military agents who confirmed it wasSolaiman, so the body was later re-taken by the troops and is currently at the headquarters of the Joint Task Force Comet, whichis supervising Operation Plan Ultimatum, a campaign plan against the top Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesia-based terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders in Sulu since August.

    He also warned of possible retaliation by Abu Sayyaf following the death of Solaiman.

    "With the death of Abu Solaiman, we expect that they would try to launch some retaliatory actions. However, we have instituted some actions so that the Abu Sayyaf group will not be able to carry out retaliatory actions," he said.

    Esperon said the Abu Sayyaf is now a weaker organization of around 350 men compared with about 500 one year ago. He described Solaiman as the number one planner of most of the attacks of the Abu Sayyaf, including the May 2001 kidnapping of 21 people, including three Americans, in Dos Palmas resort, Palawan in southwest Philippines.

    He said Solaiman also masterminded the kidnapping of Catholic priest Cirilo Nacord and 200 teachers and students in Sumisip and Tumahubong towns in Basilan, southern Philippines, in March 2000 and the siege of the Torres Hospita in Lamitan town in Basilan on June 2001.

    Solaiman also planned a number of bombings in southern Philippines, including that at a Malagutay training facility in Zamboanga City on October 2002 that resulted in the death of several people, including a U.S. serviceman.

    Solaiman has assumed the role as spokesman of the Abu Sayaf in June 2002 and has claimed Abu Sayyaf responsibility in the February 2004 bombing of Superferry 14 off Manila Bay that left 200 people dead.

    It was also Solaiman who claimed responsibility over the 2005 Valentine's Day bombings in General Santos, Davao and Makati City,Metro Manila, that killed eight people.

    Esperon also said Esperon is closely associated with JI bombersDulmatin and Omar Patek, who were accused of launching the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people.

    Esperon said the killing of Solaiman has increased the resolve of the soldiers to go after the remaining leaders of the Abu Sayyaf.

    "This group must be finished off, their major commanders must be finished off so that we can put an end to these terrorists, notorious terrorist group," he said.

    Esperon said he has talked to a "ranking member" of the U.S. embassy and they were very interested in the fate of Solaiman not only because they know that Solaiman was involved in the kidnapping of U.S. citizens but also because this is a known terrorist personality that is known to have direct links with Al Qaida.