Thursday, January 19, 2006

Sayyaf Bounty Info Now On Bottled Water

A photograph of wanted Abu Sayyaf leader Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman is printed on bottles of mineral water. Philippine and US authorities have distributed in Mindanao more than 5,000 bottled water bearing bounty information of known Abu Sayyaf leaders. (Zamboanga Journal)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Bong Garcia / 19 Jan) Filipino and US authorities adopted a new style of disseminating information about rewards for wanted Abu terror leaders in Mindanao.

Both countries offer huge bounty to anyone who could provide information that will lead to the arrest
of known Abu Sayyaf leaders or their members.

US and Filipino soldiers involved in humanitarian mission in Mindanao now give out free bottled water with photographs and information of top Abu Sayyaf leaders like Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman.
This came about as posters showing photographs of wanted Abu Sayyaf terrorist leaders cannot reach remote areas in Mindanao.
“Reward up to $5 million for Jainal Sali alias Abu Solaiman. Wanted for murder, extortion, and kidnapping,” reads a label on one of the bottled water.

Another reads: “There is a large cash reward up to $5 million for the information that leads to the capture of Khadaffy Janjalani,” referring to the elusive chieftain of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

Also printed on bottle labels were telephone numbers of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force where civilians can call if they have information or see any of those on the photographs.

Janjalani and Sali are just among a dozen terror leaders who are being hunted by the authorities for the kidnapping of four US citizens in the Philippines.
Authorities also blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the spate of killings and banditry in the southern Philippines.

Aside from duo, police and military are also hunting down one of the most Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who previously used Basilan Island as a springboard for terror attacks.

Capt. Eddie Paruchabutr, information officer of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, said they already distributed more than 5,000 bottles of water since the start of the new system of disseminating information about wanted Abu Sayyaf leaders several months ago.
Paruchabutr said they have distributed bottled water during medical and dental missions in different areas in the provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

He said Philippine Navy soldiers were also giving out free bottles of water to Badjao people whenever they visit their remote fishing villages in the southern region. “Nobody knows the area [in the remote islands] better than the Badjaos,” Paruchabutr said.

Many Badjao people said they are willing to help the authorities by providing intelligence information about the Abu Sayyaf group and its leaders if they see them.

The Badjao usually live in the coast and islands in the Sulu archipelago and Basilan and could easily detect the presence of terrorists in their areas.
Washington offered as much as $5 million bounty for the capture of Janjalani and other Abu Sayyaf leaders. The US included the group on its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
President Gloria Arroyo also put up a P100 million rewards for the capture of top Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive.


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