After more than ten years of fighting Islamic militant groups, the U.S. has decided to disband its anti-terror team in the southern part of the Philippines.

U.S. and Philippine officials have announced on Thursday that the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) will be disbanded.

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However, smaller special forces from the U.S. Pacific Command will stay to make sure that Abu Sayyaf, Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah and other Al-Qaida-linked groups do not rise again.

The JSOTF-P was established in the southern Philippines in 2002 to help Filipino forces subdue the bloody attacks of Abu Sayyaf gunmen. The militant group had abducted more than 100 civilians, including three American citizens.

The Philippine Constitution prevents U.S. military forces from participating in combat in the country, but the U.S. is allowed to provide military equipment, intelligence, advice, training, and drone surveillance to help the Philippine army in its efforts to crush the Abu Sayyaf. The joint efforts of the two nations helped reduce the terrorist group's size from a few thousand to just 300.

In response to The Associated Press' queries, U.S. Embassy Press Attache Kurt Hoyer said in an email that the success of the JSOTF-P has led them to plan on a transition that will no longer have the task force. He added that there are still 320 US military personnel in the southern Philippines left from the 500 to 600 previously deployed in the area.

Abu Sayyaf terror attacks have gone down considerably, but the group has turned to kidnap-for-ransom activities for its survival. Some militant groups even go as far as Malaysia just to abduct tourists.

Philippine officials have already been notified of the decision to disband the JSOTF-P, according to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. He said the Americans would focus on other parts of the Philippines to help address new security issues.

As of now, the Philippines' main concern is China's increasingly aggressive stance in a territorial spat over the South China Sea. Four other countries are also involved in a high-tension territorial dispute with China over the said waters.

TagsJoint Special Operations Task Force Philippines, war on terror, Abu Sayaff