8 killed as troops clash with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan

Two Army personnel, including an officer, and six suspected Abu Sayyaf members were killed as government troops clashed with bandits who ambushed them in Al Barka, Basilan, on Monday, military officials said.

Col. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade, identified the fatalities on the government side as Maj. Alin Kannung, executive officer of the 32nd Infantry Battalion, and Tsgt. Ferdinand Costan.

Six suspected Abu Sayyaf members were killed but only two bodies, identified to be those of a certain “Mingkong” and Mardan Sapilin, were recovered, Galvez said.

Four other soldiers, including Cpl. Julambre Sabri of the 18th Infantry Battalion, were injured during the clash while three Abu Sayyaf members wer reportedly wounded, he said.

The clash occurred around 3 p.m. while members of the 32nd and 18th IB were passing through Sitio Pagtawanan, Brgy. Magcawa, on military vehicles.

The soldiers were on their way to Brgy. Bohe Piang to distribute livestock and inspect future projects of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), when they were ambushed by about 30 fully-armed men, Galvez said.

The armed men are members of the Abu Sayyaf and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters led by Basir Kasaran alias Commander Basir and Musana Jamiri, he said.

“The government forces were subjected to mortar and sniper fires for three hours,” Galvez said.

“Naka-dismount naman ‘yung mga tropa natin during that and were able to fight back,” he said.

Kannung, a native of Tipo-Tipo, was a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander who was integrated into the Armed Forces after the government signed a peace agreement with that rebel group in 1996, Col. Rodrigo Gregorio, AFP Western Mindanao spokesman, said.

After joining the AFP, Kannung had been “very active” in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and this is believed to be the cause of the bandits’ hatred on him, Gregorio said.

Kannung’s group was to distribute goats and other livestock as part of the 104th Brigade’s livelihood assistance to residents of Brgys. Kambug and Bohe Piang, when they were ambushed, according to the regional military spokesman.

The area is the “home base” of Commander Dan Asnawi, Gregorio said.

Asnawi commands an armed unit of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with whom soldiers figured in a bloody clash on Oct. 18, 2011. Nineteen soldiers and five MILF guerrillas died in that fighting.

Gregorio said all the soldiers who were injured in Monday’s clash have been airlifted to the Camp Navarro Station Hospital in Zamboanga City.

Members of the 18th IB, backed by members of the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion, continued distributing livestock to residents of Brgy. Magcawa on Tuesday, despite the ambush, Galvez said. (John Roson)

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Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon wounded in Basilan raid – Army

Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, who is wanted by the US government, was wounded in the raid by the military in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, on Monday, an Army official said Tuesday.

Hapilon was grazed by a bullet on the head as reported by military snipers, Col. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade, said in a phone interview.

A nephew of Hapilon also suffered a bullet wound to the shoulder while at least four other Abu Sayyaf members were injured, Galvez said.

Hapilon and the other wounded, however, escaped during the raid which targeted him and Furuji Indama, another high-ranking Abu Sayyaf commander.

“Apparently naka[takas] po sila (Hapilon and Indama), pero si Isnilon nagkaroon ng slight wound sa head,” Galvez said.

Eight Abu Sayyaf gunmen were seen as getting killed in the firefight, but troops recovered only two bodies, he said.

A report reaching the military headquarters in Manila said the two bodies found at the clash site belonged to an alias “Abu Digod” and a certain Buga Teddy.

Three soldiers, identified as Sgt. Magno of the Army, A2C Kasilag of the Air Force, and SN1 Merquit of the Navy, were wounded in the firefight, according to the report.

Galvez said the raid in Brgy. Silangkum was launched purposely to find Hapilon and Indama because their groups have been “pestering” Basilan residents with kidnappings and extortion.

“Walang let up po ito. Walang let up po itong operations na ito until the Tipo-Tipo and Al Barka areas have been cleared of the Abu Sayyaf. Nagfo-focused military operations kami ngayon,” he said.

According to the official, Hapilon and Indama’s latest exploits include extorting “protection money” from the contractor of the Basilan Circumferential Road.

“Ine-extort nila ng P1 million ‘yung contractor, P2 billion kasi ang contract nun… parang protection money ang hinihingi,” he said.

The contractor has so far finished 12 kilometers of the 121-kilometer road that would run around the entire island-province, according to the official.

Hapilon first gained notoriety for his involvement in the May 2001 incident at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan where 20 people, including three Americans, were kidnapped.

Guillermo Sobero, one of the three American kidnap victims, was beheaded a month after the abduction.

American missionary Martin Burnham, the other kidnap victim, was killed in the crossfire between the Abu Sayyaf and soldiers who conducted a rescue operation in October 2001. His wife Gracia was injured but rescued.

The Dos Palmas kidnappings prompted the US government to offer up to $5 million, or more than P206 million, for Hapilon’s capture or killing.

Indama, though not included in the US list of Filipino terror suspects, is an Abu Sayyaf sub-commander blamed for several bombing and kidnapping incidents, as well as the 2007 beheading of 10 Marine troopers in Basilan.

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At least 6 Abu Sayyaf members killed as troops raid bandit lair in Basilan

At least six Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed while three soldiers were injured as government troops raided the bandit group’s lair in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, early Monday.

The operation in Brgy. Silangkum was launched purposely to find Abu Sayyaf commanders Furuji Indama and Isnilon Hapilon, Col. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade, said by phone.

Troops clashed with an undetermined number of bandits around 5:30 a.m. and the firefight lasted for three hours, Galvez said.

Soldiers captured the Abu Sayyaf’s encampment an hour into the fighting, he said.

The Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command, meanwhile, said it coordinated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front before carrying out the operation.

“The operation was conducted and directed only against the Abu Sayyaf, with utmost consideration for the safety of MILF communities in the operational area,” Col. Rodrigo Gregorio, AFP Westmincom spokesman, said in a statement. (John Roson)

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Sayyaf in arrested in Zambo mall

An alleged Abu Sayyaf member wanted for several kidnapping incidents and the Lamitan Siege was arrested inside a mall in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, police said.

Algaber Said, who has a P600,000 bounty on his head, was arrested at the Gateway Mall around 10:30 a.m., PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo said.

Members of the PNP Special Action Force, Air Force Intelligence and Security Group, and National Bureau of Investigation carried outh the arrest, he said.

Said, who uses the alias Talha, was allegedly involved in the kidnappings in Tumahubong, Golden Harvest Plantation, the Lamitan Siege – all in Basilan – and served as a “spotter” for the Abu Sayyaf’s kidnap-for-ransom activities, Cerbo said.

The suspect has been brought to the NBI Regional Office 9 for investigation, he said. (John Roson)

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Sayyaf in Jehovah’s Witnesses abduction falls in Zambo

Authorities arrested an alleged Abu Sayyaf member wanted for the abduction of Jehovah’s Witnesses preachers in Sulu 10 years ago, during an operation in Zamboanga City on Friday.

Suspect Walid Amping was arrested in Brgy. Tulongatung around 11:20 a.m., Senior Supt. James Mejia, Zamboanga City Police director, said.

The arrest was made after witnesses positively identified the suspect, Mejia said.

Amping, who was only in his teens during the abduction, has been using the name Alexander Antonio after going into hiding, said a police source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak on the matter.

The suspect’s real name was only discovered when relatives visited him in detention, the source said.

Amping is presently being investigated for his possible involvement in the abduction of school teacher Flordeliza Ongchua in Brgy. Labuan on Nov. 13, the source added.

Capt. Alberto Caber, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said Amping, who also uses the alias Tuma, is facing six counts of kidnapping for ransom and serious illegal detention.

Members of the Army’s Task Force Zamboanga, 3rd Air Division, and Zamboanga City Police carried out the arrest on a warrant issued by Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 266 Judge Toribio Ilao, he said.

On Aug. 20, 2002, Abu Sayyaf members kidnapped six Jehovah’s Witnesses preachers and their Muslim guide in Jolo, Sulu, and later beheaded two of the victims. (John Roson)

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Abu Sayyaf member in Lamitan Seige falls

Authorities arrested an alleged Abu Sayyaf member involved in the 2001 Lamitan Siege during an operation in Basilan on Thursday, a military spokesman said.

The suspect, identified only by the alias “Abu Benjamin,” was arrested in Brgy. Oval, Lamitan City, Thursday morning, Capt. Alberto Caber, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said.

Intelligence personnel, along with members of the 32nd Infantry Battalion, PNP Special Action Force, and Lamitan City Police carried out the arrest on warrants kidnapping and serious illegal detention, Caber said.

The case stemmed from Abu Sayyaf members’ invasion of Lamitan City, where they took hostage several personnel of the Jose Maria Torres Memorial Hospital and raided the St. Peter’s Church.

The siege followed the May 27, 2001 kidnapping at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, where Abu Sayyaf members abducted several tourists – including Americans Martin and Gracia Burnham and Guillermo Sobero – and brought them to Basilan.

Sobero was beheaded the same year while Martin Burnham and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap were killed when Abu Sayyaf members clashed with government troops who were conducting a rescue operation in June 2002. (John Roson)

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Teacher abducted in Zamboanga City

Armed men abducted a public school teacher in a coastal barangay of Zamboanga City on Tuesday, just a few days after an alleged Abu Sayyaf member wanted for kidnappings was arrested in the same area.

Flordeliza Ongchua, 48, was abducted at her home in Purok 5, Brgy. Labuan, around 7:15 p.m., Chief Supt. Napoleon Estilles, Zamboanga Peninsula regional police director, said.

Ongchua, a teacher at the Labuan Elementary School, was at the kitchen when two men barged into the house, dragged her towards the shore, and forced her into a motorized banca, Estilles said.

The abductors, along with the victim and several others, fled to a still unknown direction, he said.

A security guard in the area later told police that the suspects, along with Ongchua, even passed by his post and disarmed him of his M16 rifle at gunpoint.

One policeman, identified only as PO3 Quillo, was on duty at the detachment near the shore and was also disarmed by a group of men believed to be the abductors’ “backup,” Estilles said.

Senior Supt. James Mejia, Zamboanga City Police director, said investigators have yet to identify the abductors.

The abduction occurred just three days after police intelligence operatives arrested alleged Abu Sayyaf member Jamiri Jawali Hamid in Brgy. Labuan.

Hamid, who uses the alias Abu Gabby, was arrested on a warrant for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, on Saturday, Estilles said.

The case stemmed from the kidnapping incident at the Golden Harvest in Brgy. Tairan, Lantawan, on June 11, 2001, he said. (John Roson)

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DILG chief signs P643-M bounty vs. rebels, Abu Sayyaf

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas has approved a total of P642.98 million rewards for those can help authorities arrest wanted leaders of the New Peoples’ Army (NPA) and Abu Sayyaf.

Roxas signed an updated joint order by the DILG and Department of National Defense which details a total of P466.88 million rewards for 235 wanted NPA leaders, his office said in an emailed statement Monday.

Leading the list of wanted communist leaders are NPA “chief” Benito Tiamzon, finance commission head Wilma Tiamzon, National Democratic Front Mindanao spokesperson Jorge Madlos, and Leoncio Pitao, an NPA commander in Eastern Mindanao.

Roxas also signed a DND-DILG joint order which pegs the total amount of bounty for 14 Abu Sayyaf members to P176.10 million.

Included in that list are Abu Sayyaf top leader Radulan Sahiron and bomb expert Usman Ahmad Akmad Batabol alias Basit Usman.

Meanwhile, the DILG chief also formalized the P2-million reward each for the capture of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan, former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes, his brother former Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, Dinagat Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr., and Globe Asiatique developer Delfin Lee.

Palparan is facing a case for kidnapping and serious illegal detention for the disappearance of UP students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

The Reyes brothers are wanted for the murder of Palawan-based environmentalist and broadcaster Gerardo “Gerry” Ortega.

Ecleo has been in hiding since he was convicted of killing his wife Alona Bacolod-Ecleo. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Lee has a standing warrant of arrest for syndicated estafa in connection with Globe Asiatique’s Xevera housing projects in Bacolor and Mabalacat of Pampanga. (John Roson)

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Kidnapped Zamboanga del Norte town mayor freed

Kidnappers believed to be Abu Sayyaf members freed Mayor Jeffrey Lim of Salug, Zamboanga del Norte, on Monday night, more than seven months after holding him captivity, authorities said.

Chief Supt. Napoleon Estilles, Zamboanga Peninsula regional police director, said Lim was freed around 10 p.m. somewhere in Zamboanga City, where the latter “was picked-up by a mediator.”

Lim and the unnamed “mediator” arrived at the mayor’s home in Salug around 3 a.m., after which the town executive took a rest and underwent debriefing, Estilles said.

Capt. Alberto Caber, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said it is believed that Abu Sayyaf members abducted Lim and held him captive in Basilan.

“Ang tinuturo ay ASG kasi galing sa Zamboanga at sinabi na dinala pa sa Basilan, sa ngayon ASG ang tinuturo,” Caber told reporters by phone.

A P1.1-million ransom was reportedly paid in exchange for Lim’s release, but both Estilles and Caber said this was still unconfirmed.

“May na-receive kaming report na meron daw ibinigay na ransom money pero hindi pa namin ma-confirm ‘yun,” Caber said.

The 36-year-old Lim was abducted by about 10 men while having dinner at a food outlet in the bus terminal in Salug town proper on April 2.

The suspects were said to be carrying high-powered firearms and clad in shirts marked with “Pulis” and camouflage pants.

One of the men reportedly asked Lim to “sign” some documents before the others arrived and dragged the town executive into a multi-cab.

The suspects drove the multi-cab towards the adjacent barangay of Caracol, where police found the vehicle abandoned and burned.

Lim was then allegedly transferred to one of two white fishing boats “waiting” at the shore and were later seen negotiating towards Salug Bay. (John Roson)

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9 Abu Sayyaf men killed in Sulu, military official says

At least nine Abu Sayyaf members were killed and about 20 were wounded when Marines clashed with the bandit group in Patikul, Sulu, on Sunday, a military official said Monday.

The fatalities included Sahiron Ajil and Ismin Sahiron, both relatives of Abu Sayyaf commander Radullan Sahiron, Col. Orlando de Leon, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade in Sulu, told reporters via phone.

De Leon, however, said only local residents and officials reported the number of Abu Sayyaf casualties and no bodies were recovered.

“Wala tayong body count, dahil close-quarter battle, divided lang kami ng ilog… instead of recovering ‘yung body count ng kalaban, I have to evacuate also ‘yung casualty ko, ‘yun ang priority sa akin kaysa recovery of bodies,” he said.

He confirmed that four soldiers were killed and 13 were injured in the fighting.

Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman, said the four slain soldiers’ remains arrived in Zamboanga City early Monday on a Navy vessel.

Six of 13 injured soldiers were brought to the Camp Navarro Station Hospital, also in Zamboanga City, for further treatment while the others remain at the Trauma Hospital in Jolo, he said.

Members of the 6th Marine Battalion Landing Team clashed with Abu Sayyaf members under Radullan Sahiron and followers of Tahil Sali in Brgy. Bakong around 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

The troops, numbering 80 to 90, were then verifying reports on the presence of kidnap victims, Cabangbang said.

“Noong una nakabangga nila (Marines) ‘yung tropa ni Radullan Sahiron, mga more or less 60 ‘yun, tapos nag-reinforce si Tahil Sali umabot ng mga more or less 100, umabot ng mga limang oras ‘yung fighting,” Cabangbang said in a phone interview.

On Sunday, Cabangbang said two armed men, one of whom was identified as a certain “Kaisar,” were also killed in the clash.

There was no reported fighting as of Monday morning but troops are still pursuing the bandits, Cabangbang said.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos told reporters that 1,000 soldiers are now “directly involved” in pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. (John Roson)

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