[AsiaOne] The Abu Sayyaf released a gruesome video showing the beheading of Canadian hostage Robert Hall. The video starts off with two terrorists standing over Hall, who is made to kneel down before them, with the Daesh flag in the background. The 90-second video appeared to have been shot in the jungle.During his last moments, Hall is seen wearing an orange t-shirt and black sweatpants, and his hands seemed to be tied behind his back. One of the terrorists held Hall's head while the other hand is seen holding a knife. Throughout the video, another terrorist, wearing a ski mask, stands behind Hall and recites an Arabic prayer, which lasted about 45 seconds.
Immediately after that, Hall is forced to the ground while the terrorist with the machete proceeds to hack off his head. As this is happening, Hall can be heard groaning. Hall's severed head is then held up and paraded in front of the camera while the terrorists shout Allahu Akbar several times.
It is believed that the video was taken in Jolo. Preliminary intelligence reports indicated Hall was beheaded ten minutes after a 3 p.m. deadline lapsed in the mountains outside Jolo's Patikul town.
In Manila, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's national security adviser said Duterte's new government would "take a stronger action against lawlessness in the south".
Hermogenes Esperon said, "We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all."
Philippines security officials said on Thursday they had uncovered a plot by militants linked to the Al Qaeda network to assassinate President 
The military stepped up its retaliatory offensive yesterday by killing several Abu Sayyaf militants, including two of the suspects behind the beheading of soldiers last month.Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo said troops overran an Abu Sayyaf training camp in the mountain village of Silangkum here where bodies of several Abu Sayyaf gunmen were found. Troops have recovered at least six body counts, including the two leaders who were among the suspects in the beheading of the Marines last month. This does not include those bodies seen littered by the clearing forces, Cedo told a news conference here yesterday. Cedo said yesterdays clash here involved about 80 Abu Sayyaf gunmen. He added that hundreds of troops are pursuing the rebels who survived. The bodies of slain rebels were scattered around the battle scene, he said. 
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Agence France Press reported that US troops were aboard a Humvee armored jeep as two US soldiers manned a vehicle-top mounted machine-gun in Sulu. The US soldiers' helmets bore miniature US flags. 
With the Philippine government not giving a definite exit date, and with US officials stating that this unit composed of between 100 to 500 troops depending on the season will stay on as long as they are allowed by the government, it is presumed that it will continue to be based in the Philippines for an indefinite period, the statement read. Beyond being involved in the war, Focus draws attention to this unit having effectively established a new kind of basing in the Philippines, it said.
Global Focus on the South reported that since 2001, the US which has more than 700 bases and installations in over 100 countries around the world had embarked on the most radical realignment of its overseas basing network since World War II. Part of the changes is the move away from large permanent bases such as the ones in Subic and Clark in favor of smaller, more austere, more low profile bases such as the JSOTF-Ps presence in Zamboanga and in other places in southern Mindanao.
Renato Reyes, Jr., BAYAN secretary-general, asked in a press statement why are US troops involved in actual combat missions in Sulu? The sight of fully armed US troops traveling in the Philippine military convoy is a clear indication that the Americans are there for actual combat and military intervention.
Anakpawis Rep. Beltran said the participation of US troops in the war operations were in clear violation of the VFA and more importantly, provisions of the Philippine Constitution on internal security and sovereignty. He said that the onset, the AFP should issue an official statement on the involvement of the US troops and divulge how many US troops are actually participating and in which areas they are being deployed. He said it was also illegal for US troops to be conducting covert operations on Philippine soil. 
When American troops landed in Zamboanga City for Balikatan 02-1 in January 2002, the first time after the US military bases in the country were ousted in 1991, they were supposed to stay only until July that year but some stayed behind to do civil works, to finish construction and do some humanitarian programs in the city and in neighboring Basilan. Since January 2002, there had always been a batch of American soldiers in Mindanao but how many they are, US and Philippine military officials are not saying. Asked about the seemingly continuous US military presence since 2002, then US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone told MindaNews in an interview in February 2005 that we established a semi-continuous, not permanent, but semi-continuous (military presence), that is to say, some number of our personnel, rotate, at the pleasure of the command, your command
Its a high-priced consultancy, only were doing it for free. And the second your command says its not useful, we leave. 
The Philippine military will step up offensives against Muslim rebels after it lost 26 soldiers in the heaviest fighting in the volatile south in nearly three years, the head of the armed forces said on Friday. 