New Naval Station to rise in Sulu

The Philippine Navy is constructing a new naval station to boost the security in the province of Sulu.

The new naval station will soon rise in Barangay Bual, Luuk, a third class town of Sulu province.

The municipal government of Luuk headed by Mayor Allayon Arbison Jr. donated three-hectare property to the Philippine Navy, which will be used as the site for the naval station in the area.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and Deed of Donation was signed by Rear Adm. Rene Medina, Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) commander, Mayor Arbison, and Sulu second district Rep. Munir Arbison, to formally turn over the property.

The NFWM said in a statement that the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the naval station was held last Friday, February 23.

The signing of the MOA and Deed of Donation as well as the groundbreaking ceremony was held together with the “All-In-One Medical and Dental Mission” organized by Marine Battalion Landing Team 1 (MBLT-1) in partnership with Joint Task Force Sulu and other concerned stakeholders.

Article source: PTV News

Abu Sayyaf attacks Basilan village after assault on its leaders

The Abu Sayyaf attacked a coastal village in Basilan at noon yesterday in an apparent retaliation for last Sunday’s helicopter and naval assault on its leaders led by Nurhassan Jamiri in the outskirts of Al Barka town.

The Abu Sayyaf militants, however, withdrew after heavy fighting with civilian volunteers, reinforced by elements of the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion, in Barangay Matata, Ungkaya Pukan town.

“The civilian volunteers and Army elements from the Alpha Company repulsed the retaliatory attack aimed at relieving military pressure against the band of Jamiri in nearby Al Barka,” Lt. Col. John Paolo Perez, 18th IB commander, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Last Sunday, intelligence operatives of the 18th IB sighted 11 Abu Sayyaf leaders and members in Barangay Cambog, Al Barka town aboard five motorcycles while heading toward Barangay Bato-Bato.

The group proceeded to the Kalang Sibubong sand bar, a kilometer southwest of Barangay Bato-Bato, where their presence was subsequently confirmed by *** *** intelligence agents disguised as ****.

But before an M520 attack helicopter could conduct an air assault, Jamiri and his men were able to break into two groups and quickly fled aboard two motorized pump boats.

The attack helicopter, however, hit one of the pump boats, but its passengers were able to jump out and swam toward a mangrove area in Barangay Cambog, an area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Perez said they believe Jamiri was wounded.

Article Source: The Philippine Star

Abu Sayyaf leader killed in Sulu operation

A senior Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader who tried to resist arrest in Sitio Luwas, Barangay Nuknukan, Parang town, was killed in a shootout on Monday with operatives of the Sulu Provincial Police.

The slain ASG leader was identified as Fraser Hajan.

The encounter between authorities and the ASG leader took place around 1:15 a.m.
Police were out to arrest the suspect based on the two arrest warrants issued by Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 46 Presiding Judge Erlinda Uy.

Hajan is wanted for several counts of kidnapping and other crimes.

Instead of cooperating with authorities, the suspect fired at the arresting police, prompting the latter to retaliate and resulted in the wounding of Hajan, who later died while being rushed at a local hospital.


Recovered from the suspect was a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines with 14 rounds of ammunition, a Nokia RM-55 cellphone, spy camera, four hearing aids and suspected Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) documents.

Source

Taiwanese to Philippine Marines: Thank You for Saving Me!

A Taiwanese tourist whose husband was killed by gunmen in a kidnapping incident at a Malaysian island resort returned to Taiwan yesterday and thanked Filipino soldiers who rescued her in southern Philippines.

Television footage showed Chang An-wei, 58, dressed in a loose T-shirt and wearing sunglasses, walking to a minibus parked at an airport near Taipei after she arrived early afternoon, waving briefly to the media and giving a thumbs-up sign.

Taiwanese media said she is expected to go to a hospital in Taipei for medical check-ups later yesterday.
Chang was found by Philippine Marines at a village near Talipao, a town on the remote island of Jolo where Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants are known to operate, and was taken to a local military hospital for a medical check-up on Friday.

“I think I just want to say I deeply appreciate the Philippine military for giving me such a big help and assistance to rescue me. Thank you very much,” Chang said in English in a pre-recorded message aired by several Taiwanese news channels yesterday.

Chang and her husband Hsu Li-min were holidaying on Pom Pom island in Sabah state, which is near the Sulu island group that includes Jolo, when gunmen attacked on Nov. 15, kidnapping her and killing her husband, according to Taiwanese officials and media.

Foreign ministry officials in Taiwan said that Hsu’s body was cremated in Malaysia and that his family brought back his ashes to Taiwan last month.

Taiwanese media said Chang’s family allegedly paid the kidnappers around $300,000 in ransom to secure her release.

“She was not abused ... the kidnappers wanted money, not her life,” Chang’s brother Chang Ta-kung said.
He declined to disclose any detail relating to the negotiations for her release.

Local authorities said the identities of Chang’s kidnappers were unknown, though Abu Sayyaf gunmen who are known to carry out kidnappings operate in the area.

A Jordanian television reporter, Bakr Atyani, walked free from a Jolo jungle earlier this month, 18 months after he was abducted by the Islamist militants. 

The Abu Sayyaf is a small Islamist movement that has been blamed for a string of terrorist attacks and kidnappings of foreigners in the Philippines.

US Special Forces have been rotating through Jolo and other parts of the southern Philippines for more than a decade to train local troops battling the group, which is on Washington’s list of “foreign terrorist organisations”.

Abu Sayyaf gunmen are believed still to hold a number of foreign as well as Filipino hostages in Jolo, including two European birdwatchers and a Japanese treasure hunter, according to local officials.
It was founded with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network to fight for an independent Islamic state, though it later turned into a criminal gang.

Dutchman Ewold Horn and Lorenzo Vinciguerra of Switzerland were abducted in the Tawi-Tawi island group near Jolo in February last year, while Amer Mamaito Katayama of Japan was abducted on the island of Pangutaran near Jolo in July 2010.

Source

DND chief hopes Sabah row will be settled peacefully

MANILA, Feb. 22 (PNA) -- Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin is hoping the stand-off between Filipino Muslims and Malaysian forces in Lahad Datu, Eastern Sabah will end peacefully.

Gazmin said on Friday that he and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista have been in constant talks with their Malaysian counterparts so that the issue will conclude as soon as possible without bloodshed.

"Both us and our counterparts agreed that this issue must be resolved peacefully," Gazmin stressed.

As negotiations are ongoing, the DND chief stated that efforts are now underway to ensure that no additional Filipino Muslims will arrive at the disputed territory that could further complicate the situation.

The Philippine Navy (PN) on Thursday announced that it has beefed up its patrol operations off the Sulu Sea in wake of the ongoing stand-off between the Filipino Muslim followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram and Malaysian forces in Sabah.

"The PN thru Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) in Zamboanga City has been supporting the efforts of Western Mindanao Command in ensuring that security will be enforced and that issues will be resolved peacefully," PN spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said.

Under NFWM, Naval Task Force 62 is ready to conduct maritime patrol operations with Malaysian authorities.

Six PN ships and one Islander aircraft are now on stand-by for this duty to stabilize and secure the situation.

"As an archipelagic state, the PN plays a crucial role in maritime operation such as defense, interdiction, patrolling and law enforcement. Guarding more than 36,000 kilometers of vast territorial waters, the PN intensify its naval operation in the country's backdoor - Sulu Sea," Fabic stressed. 

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Philippine News Agency | February 22, 2013 | Article Link

No MNLF rescue of 3 foreign hostages of Abu Sayyaf - military

MANILA - The military's Western Mindanao Command denied reports that three foreign hostages of the Abu Sayyaf Group were rescued by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Colonel Rodrigo Gregorio, Wesmincom spokesman, said a check with the 2nd Marine Brigade commander based in Sulu showed that there have been no MNLF offensives against the ASG since Sunday.

A certain Emmanuel Fontanilla, who introduced himself as a spokesman of the MNLF, told several media interviews that the MNLF were able to rescue three foreign hostages from the ASG on Tuesday, inluding two Dutchmen and a Swiss national.

"Wala pong katotohanan yan. Yung commander sa ground, yung commander ng 2nd marine brigade (Col. Orlando de Leon) siya mismo nag-deny lahat ng information na yun na lumalabas na hindi totoo yun," Gregorio said in a phone interview.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier said the ASG is holding at least five more foreigners hostage in Sulu, including Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani and two European birdwatchers.

Gregorio said Fontanilla was spreading "disinformation" to the media.

In an earlier interview, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista said soldiers in Sulu were instructed to maintain vigilance while at the same time ensure that the conflict does not spillover to other areas in Sulu.
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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | February 7, 2013 | Article Link

Navy intercepts P10M smuggled goods off Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/16 August) – The Philippine Navy has intercepted a shipment of P10-million worth of contraband goods that came from Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, a top military official disclosed Thursday.

Rear Admiral Armando Guzman, Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) command chief, citing a belated report, said the shipment was intercepted Thursday last week at vicinity 1.2 nautical miles west of Tulian Island, Sulu.

Guzman said the troops aboard Patrol Gunboat-118 known as BRP-Emilio Liwanag were on maritime law enforcement operation when they spotted M/L Al-Kausar steaming towards the port of Jolo, the capital of Sulu province.

When inspected, Guzman said the troops found out that M/L Al-Kausar is loaded with 485 bales of used clothing (ukay-ukay), 3,000 sacks of rice, 300 cases of K2 soft drinks, 183 boxes of Sedaap noodles, 100 boxes of Maggi Kari, 115 bags of pancit/udang noodles, 30 boxes of white candles (BT lights), and 200 boxes of cooking oil.

Hudri Darusalam, the skipper of M/L Al-Kausar, failed to present documents of the cargo shipment, Guzman said.

The vessel is owned and operated by Albasher Salim Sangka of Basbas, Languyan municipality, Tawi-Tawi, he said.

Guzman said the vessel was escorted to the port of Jolo and the confiscated contrabands goods were turned over to the Bureau of Customs.

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MindaNews | August 17, 2012 | Article Link

Marines, PDEA destroy P8M marijuana plants

Combined military and anti-illegal drug operatives have raided and destroyed a marijuana farm and uprooted some P8-million worth of plants in the town of Maimbung, Sulu province on Friday afternoon, Philippine Navy spokesman Colonel Omar Tonsay said.

Tonsay related that forces from the Philippine Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 (MBLT 2) and the 3rd Marine Brigade (3MBDE) and operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and local police raided a half-hectare marijuana plantation in Barangay Gulangan, Maimbung town on Friday afternoon.

No one was apprehended by the joint PDEA and military operatives during the raid.

The uprooted marijuana plants were brought to the 3MBDE headquarters for safekeeping.

Brigadier General Remigio Valdez, 3MBDE commander, said the raid and successful operations was due to the well-coordinated surveillance and monitoring by the Marines and the PDEA.

Valdez vowed to pursue their campaign and operations against terrorism in his jurisdiction and to work with other agencies for the security and development of Sulu.

The PDEA are determining the identity of the owner of the said marijuana plantation.

Relatedly, a notorious shabu dealer in Sta. Mesa, Manila fell into the hands of authorities after concerned citizens reported his illegal drug activities to the PDEA.

The suspect, identified as Marvic Bansil, alias Niknok, was widely known in his neighborhood as a shabu dealer. 

Bansil reportedly sold shabu in their barangay and in adjacent communities, particularly to his primary clients who occupy a certain condominium building whom he charges a minimum of P2,000 per transaction. Residents are afraid of him because he bragged that he owned a gun, PDEA director general Jose Gutierrez said.

Based on information from a group of concerned citizens, operatives of the PDEA National Capital Region (PDEA-NCR) under Director Pedrito Magsino, conducted a validation operation against Bansil. 

Upon confirmation of Bansil’s illegal drug activities, an undercover PDEA agent transacted with the suspect in his house. Bansil was collared after he handed over a plastic sachet containing shabu to the poseur-buyer on May 29, 2012. 

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Gina Peralta-Elorde | The Daily Tribune | June 3, 2012 | Article Link

Filipino militants free kidnapped Malaysian

Philippine officials say a Malaysian man has been freed by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants after a year of jungle captivity in the country's south. -The Associated Press

Philippine officials say a Malaysian man has been freed by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants after a year of jungle captivity in the country's south.

Sulu provincial Gov. Abdusakur Tan said Wednesday that Mohammad Nazarudin bin Saidin was released by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in his province on Friday. It was not immediately clear if any ransom was paid for the victim, a truck driver.

Police say the victim was seized by the gunmen while buying geckos in Sulu's Indanan township in May last year. Officials say the kidnappers demanded an unspecified ransom but that the victim's family could not afford the amount, prolonging his detention.

Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization.

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 The Associated Press/ The Seattle Times | May 16, 2012 | Article Link

4 killed in Abu Sayyaf ambush in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Four persons, including three security personnel of the Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Coop. Inc. (TARBIDCI), were killed in an ambush by alleged Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Sumisip, Basilan early morning on Maundy Thursday, the military said.

Seven other persons were wounded in the attack on workers of the cooperative in Tumahubong village around 5:45 a.m., Colonel Ricardo Visaya of the 104th Infantry Brigade said.

Visaya identified the slain security personnel as Nulmer Lumbos, who was driving the cooperative’s patrol vehicle, Nusaman Hatula and Hassan Manjapal.

Wounded were Macion Bonifacio, Reynaldo Pia, Alihol Bistanul, Pangamdas Mujib, Munap Saalul, Ahmad Ibrahim and Lucman Unzah.

Visaya said the cooperative’s security personnel were on a patrol vehicle and were securing an area – where about a dozen rubber tappers were to work – when fired at by the Abu Sayyaf men under Puruji Indama.

Visaya said responding elements of the Army’s 4th Scout Ranger Battalion under Lieutenant  Colonel Armand Arevalo had clashed with the bandits and killed one Abu Sayyaf member in the process.

“One ASG suspect identified as certain Bakrim was killed,” he said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a ragtag band of self-styled Islamists being linked with Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network of terror.

Most of its senior leaders landed in Washington’s list of most wanted terrorists because of the Abu Sayyaf’s involvement in high-profile kidnappings – including of foreigners – and bombing activities.

Although previously dismissed by the military as a spent force, the Abu Sayyaf – founded in the 1980s by a Abdurajak Janjalani – continues to sow terror, especially in remote villages of Western Mindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

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Julie Alipala, Katherine Evangelista | INQUIRER.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer | April 5, 2012 | Link

Abu Sayyaf behind Sulu bombing

Death toll in Sulu bomb explosion rises to 4

Philstar.com | March 04, 2012 12:00 PM | Article link 

COTABATO, Philippines (Xinhua) - The death toll in the bomb explosion blamed on militants on Saturday night in a commercial area in the southern Philippine province of Sulu rose to four, authorities said today.

Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said two more wounded had died at the hospital after an improvised explosive device blast along Serantes Street in Jolo town at around 6:55 p.m. Saturday, which killed two people instantly.

Besides the four casualties, there are six others injured in the terror attack. "We have four fatalities, only two died soon after the explosion," he said.

Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said investigation by the police indicated that the bomb was planted at the generator of the store in the area.

No one group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but government security forces said they are looking into possible involvement of the Abu Sayyaf terror group.

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Police suspect Abu Sayyaf in Jolo bombing

Agence France Presse, AbsCbnNews.com | 03/04/2012 12:34 PM | Article link 

ZAMBOANGA - Islamic extremists with links to the Al-Qaeda network are suspected of carrying out a deadly bomb attack that left two dead and 13 wounded in the southernPhilippines, police said Sunday.

The Abu Sayyaf group likely planted the bomb that exploded in a commercial district of the southern island of Jolo late Saturday, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra.

A street vendor and a schoolteacher were killed and 13 others were wounded when the home-made bomb exploded in Jolo, which has been a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf for over a decade, police said.

"Our initial report is that the Abu Sayyaf was behind the bombing. It is possible that this was in retaliation for the killing by the police of an Abu Sayyaf member last week," Freyra said.

The bomb went off in the same commercial area where the Abu Sayyaf member was shot dead when police caught him extorting money from shop-owners, Freyra said.

Security has been tightened on the heavily-forested island to prevent future attacks from the group, which has long used kidnappings for ransom and extortion to raise funds, Freyra said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of Islamic militants founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

It has been blamed for the worst extremist attacks in Philippine history including a ferry bombing in Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

Despite the arrest and killing of many of its key leaders, the group remains an enduring security threat with about 300 fighters still active, authorities have warned.

Survey: Marines well-loved in Sulu

Eighty percent of Sulu residents trust the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and 98 percent credit it for securing their communities. These emerged from a recent survey in the island province made infamous by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. Sulu in the ’70s to early ’80s also saw separatists fiercely fighting government troops.

Of the 98 percent who consider the AFP as the greatest impact to local security, 50 percent believe it is making their place a lot safer. Respondents basically were referring to the Philippine Marines, the most visible AFP unit to Sulu locals. The Marine Corps has two brigades consisting of six battalions in the island. Jointly with visiting US forces, they hold medical-dental checkups, erect schoolhouses, dig drainage, and perform other “civil-military operations.” Congratulations are in order for Marine Corps commandant Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, and Naval Forces-Western Mindanao commander Rear Adm. Armando Guzman.

The survey was designed by TNS Philippines and made last Dec. 3-15 with the help of the Notre Dame of Jolo College. Simultaneous polls were done in five other conflict affected areas in Mindanao: Zamboanga, Isabela City, Basilan, Cotabato, and Marawi. The margin of error for Sulu was ±4 percent; in all the survey areas, ±2 percent. Follow-up polls will be made this month.

Compared to the 80-percent trust rating of the AFP in Sulu, it notched 67 percent in the other conflict areas.

Sulu respondents expressed slightly more trust in extremist armed groups than the rest of the conflict zones. But on the whole such trust ratings were less than 20 percent. In contrast, nearly 70 percent of Sulu respondents and more than 60 percent in the other areas consider the Abu Sayyaf a threat. No Sulu family would allow a member to join a terrorist band. Eighty-four percent of Sulu residents feel safe in their communities, almost the same as the rest of the conflict areas, 86 percent.

Most respondents are aware of rewards offered by the government to individuals and groups who help in the capture of armed extremists. But only 23 percent of Sulu respondents and 32 percent in the other conflict zones said they would avail of such rewards. The main reason cited to shun rewards is the fear of retribution.

The survey looked as well into the education, income, employment and lifestyle of respondents. Many more Sulu respondents than in other conflict areas had no electricity, TV sets, mobiles, Internet, radio, running water, refrigerators, or two-wheeled transport in their homes.

The survey would come in handy for Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. More so when he embarks, on orders of Malacañang, on a drive against loose firearms.

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GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc 

The Philippine Star

March 02, 2012 12:00 AM

Article Link

Kidnapped Europeans now with Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines - The investigations into the kidnapping of Dutch Ewold Horn, 52, and Swiss Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, on February 3 are bringing new leads, intelligence sources told Rappler.

Initially, investigators thought a local dispute led to the kidnapping of the Europeans. They had been bird-watching for 4 days in Tawi-Tawi before they were kidnapped by armed men now believed to be former members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), according to an intelligence official.  

The MNLF was the Philippines' largest Muslim separatist group until it signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996.  Many former members joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but many hard-liners joined the Abu Sayyaf.

Sources told Rappler that the Europeans were brought to Abu Sayyaf leader Yasser Igasan in Sulu. Their transfer from Tawi-Tawi to Patikul, Sulu was allegedly coordinated by MNLF commander Tahil Sali and Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron.

Another intelligence source confirmed the 2 Europeans are now in Sulu and that an Abu Sayyaf member is now looking to negotiate their release.

Cottage industry

The Abu Sayyaf has turned kidnapping-for-ransom into a cottage industry.  Handing hostages to larger, better armed groups is a common practice.  Larger groups can better protect and evade authorities. All involved then get a cut of the ransom, according to members of the Abu Sayyaf.

There have been 4 waves in the Abu Sayyaf's evolution, alternating between terrorism and crime.  

It was formed and funded in the early 90's by a splinter group from the MNLF aided by the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden and trained by agents of Al-Qaeda (1991-1998).  

The second wave happened after the death of its founder, Abdurajak Janjalani, and ran from 1998 till 2002.  

Jemaah Islamiyah helped reorient the group towards terrorism again during its third wave of evolution between 2002 to 2008.  

During that time, the Abu Sayyaf carried out the region's worst maritime terrorist attack, the Superferry bombing in 2004. A year later, it carried out near-simultaneous, coordinated attacks, including one in Manila, on Valentine's day.  

Finally, the fourth wave began in 2008 with the kidnapping of an ABS-CBN news team, signalling the degeneration of the Abu Sayyaf back into kidnapping for ransom. That was followed 6 months later by the kidnapping of members of the International Committee of the Red Cross.  

The kidnappings have continued since then. 

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By: Maria Ressa

Posted on 02/22/2012 7:40 PM  | Updated 02/22/2012 8:28 PM

Rappler.com

Link

Military ready for JI, Sayyaf reprisal

MANILA, Philippines - The military is preparing for possible retaliation from terrorists in the wake of an air strike in Sulu last Thursday that left three terror leaders and 12 of their followers dead.

Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Noel Coballes said their troops had been alerted about the possible repercussion of their operations against the militants, believed to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Abu Sayyaf group (ASG).

“Actually, we’ve alerted all our troops with regard to that even before the execution of the plan. We have informed our commanders about the probable repercussion or probable retaliation of the other groups,” he said.

Coballes, however, said it remains uncertain if terrorists are really planning to stage attacks to avenge the deaths of their comrades.

“We cannot say that they will do that but we have already prepared for any probable retaliation,” he said.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said some militants survived last Thursday’s air raid. Some of the survivors were Malaysian members of the JI who entered the Philippines last December.

“Right now they (survivors) are disorganized. They are on the run. They are subjects of our operations,” Burgos said.

Burgos said last Thursday’s operation targeted 30 terrorists. Eight of the 30 militants are believed to be members of the JI, which has links to international terror cell al-Qaeda. 

Two Air Force OV-10 planes with night flying capability launched the attack at around 3 a.m. on Barangay Duyan Kabau in Parang town. Officials said the terrorists were caught by surprise as they may have been asleep during the attack.

Burgos said they will validate the identities of the slain terrorists through DNA tests. He, however, admitted that the military has yet to secure the bodies of the militants.

“We are still finding the bodies but we already know their location. We have to coordinate with the relatives,” he said. “(We are not) in possession (of the bodies) right now. We already have their locations. That area is an MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) territory.”

Burgos, however, maintained that they have validated the identities of 11 of the 15 slain terrorists.

“We have assets in the area so we already have the confirmation,” he said. Burgos said they expect members of the MNLF to help in coordinating with the families of the slain militants.

“We are expecting cooperation from MNLF. This is an endeavor to be done in cooperation with civilian authorities,” he said.

Blow to al-Qaeda

For AFP chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, the al-Qaeda has suffered a major setback with the killing of the JI and ASG leaders in Parang, Sulu on Thursday.

“Their loss was a big blow to their operation. They have lost their strength,” Dellosa said, stressing that the slain terror leaders were the “center of their gravity.”

“They controlled their people. Their killings caught the terror groups off balance,” Dellosa said in Filipino.
US embassy deputy chief of mission Leslie Basset also called the military operation “a very serious blow against transnational terrorism.”

Reported killed in the pre-dawn air strike were JI leaders Zulkipli bin Abdul Hir alias Marwan, Muhamda Ali alias Muawiya and Muin Khalid, and Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbali Jumdail alias Dr. Abu Pula.

The air strike killed 12 other terrorists, the military said.

Also killed in the raid were Indonesian JI members known only as Saad and Hajan.

The slain Abu Sayyaf members include Abdulla Aziz, brother-in-law of Marwan, Ben Wagas, Haiji Tatti, close aide of Dr. Abu Pula, Muammar, Apo Mike, Abu Daud, Tuan Nas, alias Ainal, and a certain Sissan, a religious leader from Basilan.

The military said there was no doubt Abu Sayyaf and JI leaders and operatives were killed in the pre-dawn raid last Thursday.

“The assets were very credible. But I don’t want to elaborate the exact details. The target is very accurate,” Dellosa said.

Sulu 1st district Rep. Tupay Loong said there was “talk among the civilians in the area” regarding the deaths of the ASG and JI leaders, including foreigners.

He said considering the operation was done while it was still dark, the remains of the slain terror leaders might have been carried away and buried by their comrades according to Muslim beliefs.

Loong said he has yet to get word from the mayor of Parang, who is his nephew, on the extent of the military operation and its effect on the area.

“If that will address national issue as far as security is concerned, that is good… we have to congratulate the AFP,” Loong said.

Coballes said the JI is joining forces with other Islamic extremist groups to expand its presence and operations in Mindanao.

He also said they have received reports that 30 terrorists, including six foreign JI militants, arrived in Sulu last December. This led the military to hatch “Oplan Nemesis” aimed at neutralizing the militants.

“It was a high level planning which involved several options,” Coballes said. He said no ground troops took part in the operation to ensure an element of surprise as well as avoid or minimize casualties.

He said other armed groups, including the MNLF, operate around the target site.

He said OV-10 bronco planes with night flying capability took part in the raid.

Meanwhile, the US embassy’s Basset said they are leaving to the expertise of the military the task of identifying the remains of the slain terrorist leaders before deciding on the release of the bounties for the capture or neutralization of the terrorist leaders.

Marwan, considered one of the top JI leaders in Southeast Asia following the capture of Umar Patek in Pakistan, has a $5-million reward on his head.

Muawiya carries a $50,000 reward and Dr. Abu Pula, $140,000.

“We have yet to confirm the identities first and then work from there and take that step working on (the rewards),” Basset said when asked about the rewards for the neutralization of the terrorists.

Basset was in Zamboanga City to relay the gratitude of the US government and the family of the American kidnap victims – mother and son Gerfa Yeatts Lunsman and Kevin Eric – to Mayor Celso Lobregat for his role in their recovery.

Mrs. Lunsman was freed in October while her son escaped in December.
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By Alexis Romero and Roel Pareño
The Philippine Star
February 04, 2012 12:00 AM
Link

Philippine military in pursuit of 30 Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah members

At least 30 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members who survived a military air strike Thursday in Sulu are on the run and being pursued by government troops, the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) said in a briefing Friday.
 
What remains of the groups are the target of continuing military operations, AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos told reporters in Quezon City’s Camp Aguinaldo.
 
“We cant say if there are wounded among them but we are after 30 personalities in the general area,” said Burgos.
 
The AFP maintained that 15 ASG and JI leaders and members died in Thursday’s airstrikes in Mindanao’s Sulu province, noting their bodies were retrieved and buried by their comrades after the assault by two OV-10 planes.
 
Also, Burgos noted the military is now trying to coordinate with families of the slain terrorists so that the bodies can be retrieved, saying the location where the dead were buried have been pinpointed by military assets on the ground.
 
“To us, this is already confirmed, but we have to prove that through DNA testing... Based on our assets, we are already confirming it…They were brought to different locations but we will come to that. We’ll have to prove this because this requires DNA testing,” said Burgos.

“This is our effort right now: to coordinate with the local authorities for the cooperation of the relatives because in determining DNA, we have to get DNA samples,” the military spokesman also said.
 
'A blow to transnational terrorism'

In a Reuters report Friday, Leslie Basset, US deputy ambassador to the Philippines, told reporters during a visit to Mindanao the death of the militants would be a serious set-back for them.
 
"If the reports are confirmed, it marks a very serious blow against transnational terrorism," Basset said.
 
Fifteen of those slain were JI operatives Zulkipli Bin Hir (alias Marwan ) and Singaporean Muhammad Ali bin Abd Al-Rahman (alias Muawiya), and ASG senior leader Gumbahali Jumdail (alias Dr. Abu), the military said Thursday.
 
Marwan was identified as a Malaysian bomb-making expert, and Mauiyah as a former member of the Singaporean military with the rank of major. The United States had put up a $50,000 reward for his capture.
 
But Singapore's Ministry of Defense said Al-Rahman was not a former major nor had he been a regular member of the armed forces, Reuters noted in its report.
 
One of the fatalities, a certain Jumong — said to be a Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah operative — is among six JI operatives who entered the Philippines last Dec. 30, Burgos said during Friday’s briefing.
 
The seven other fatalities, Burgos also said were Abu Sayyaf members Moammar Jumdail (alias Ting and son of Dr. Abu), Tati Jamhali, a certain alias Leong, alias Teng, alias Muin, Tuan Nash LIpae, and one Julpe.
 
Four others remain unidentified, their group affiliations unknown, Burgos noted.
 
The JI and ASG operatives were identified based on intelligence supplied by informants. “Its an A1. We cannot divulge all the other information because its operational... We know the locations," the military spokesperson said.
 
"On the part of Marwan, the mother of Marwan is already getting in touch with the Malaysian authorities… with our AFP authorities, regarding the retrieval of the body of Marwan,” he said of the Malaysian bomb expert.
 
Prepared for retaliation
 
According to Reuters, the Philippine military stepped up security on Friday in expectation of revenge attacks by Muslim rebels.
 
JI is a Southeast Asian group behind the 2005 bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.
 
The air strike on Sulu island was planned after the military got reports that 30 militants, including some JI members, had arrived there in December.
 
"We have already prepared for any probable retaliation," Major General Noel Coballes, head of the Army's Western Mindanao command, told reporters.
 
"We have alerted our units," he said. "They have just raised their security level, they intensified a little the measures they normally have in place."
 
Remote, Muslim parts of the southern Philippines have become a haven for militants from around the region who have found shelter with Philippine Muslim rebels who have been battling the government of the Christian-majority country for decades.
 
Southern Philippines is a focus of the US-led international campaign against militancy, launched after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and several hundred US soldiers are in the region helping train Philippine forces.
 
Philippine officials also denied media reports that US forces had used a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft to help plan the air strike.
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With Reuters/VS, GMA News
GMA News Online
February 3, 2012 8:57pm
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