COTABATO CITY, the Philippines, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops said on Saturday that they will not halt operation against members of Al Qaeda linked militants active in the southern Philippines.

Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., a military spokesman, told a local radio station that the government security forces will not declare a ceasefire with their operation against Abu Sayyaf militants in Mindanao this holiday season.

"We cannot do that. They are dreaded terrorists. Ultimately, we want them all neutralize,"Mabanta said.

The 380-strong Abu Sayyaf group, founded in the early 1990s by Islamic extremists, is notorious for kidnappings, bombings and even beheadings in southern Philippines over the past decade.