Southern Philippines military spokesman Brig. Gen. Francisco Callelero points Wednesday 10 May 2006 to a captured member of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, Komoni Pael, who is allegedly involved in the kidnappings and beheadings of Filipino hostages in Basilan and Jolo islands in 2001. Pael, alias Abu Bara, is captured in Basilan after civilians tipped off the military about his presence in Kumalarang village. (Zamboanga Journal)ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 10 May) Southern Philippines military chief Major General Gabriel Habacon ordered Wednesday an intensified hunt on Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group is tied to the al-Qaeda terror network.
"We have doubled our efforts to trace members of the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines. Troops are intensifying the hunt for terrorists," he said.
The military also paraded Wednesday a captured Abu Sayyaf member, Komeni Pael, who was implicated in the kidnappings and beheading of many Filipino hostages in Basilan and Jolo islands.
Brig. Gen. Francisco Callelero, military spokesman, presented the militant, whose nom de guerre is Abu Bara, to reporters inside the tightly guarded Southern Command base in Zamboanga City.
"Today, we present to you one of the most notorious Abu Sayyaf member who is responsible in many kidnappings and killings of Filipino hostages in Basilan and Jolo," Callelero told reporters at a news conference.
He said Pael was a follower of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Hamsiraji Salih and also involved in the kidnapping of dozens of Christian preachers in Jolo island in 2001.
"The capture of Abu Bara is a result of the relentless efforts of the Southern Command to bring the leaders of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group to justice. We will not stop our operation until the rest are neutralized," he said.
Bara, clad in yellow t-shirt with markings "Southcom Detainee," and a pair of white boxer shorts, did not speak to reporters. His hands were cuffed behind his back and always escorted by two soldiers.
Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of military forces in Basilan, said Pael was nabbed in the remote village of Kumalarang in Basilan's Isabela City on Monday after civilians reported his presence to the military.
Ferrer said the militant is facing a string of criminal charges in Basilan.
Last month, troops in Basilan captured an Abu Sayyaf member Abdusalih Dimah in Kapayawan village in Isabela City after weeks of surveillance operation.
Dimah was implicated in the 2001 kidnapping of 20 holiday-makers, including three U.S. citizens -- Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Californian Guillermo Sobero, in the posh Dos Palmas resort in the central Philippine island of Palawan .
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf group as a foreign terror organization and froze its assets abroad.
"We have doubled our efforts to trace members of the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines. Troops are intensifying the hunt for terrorists," he said.
The military also paraded Wednesday a captured Abu Sayyaf member, Komeni Pael, who was implicated in the kidnappings and beheading of many Filipino hostages in Basilan and Jolo islands.
Brig. Gen. Francisco Callelero, military spokesman, presented the militant, whose nom de guerre is Abu Bara, to reporters inside the tightly guarded Southern Command base in Zamboanga City.
"Today, we present to you one of the most notorious Abu Sayyaf member who is responsible in many kidnappings and killings of Filipino hostages in Basilan and Jolo," Callelero told reporters at a news conference.
He said Pael was a follower of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Hamsiraji Salih and also involved in the kidnapping of dozens of Christian preachers in Jolo island in 2001.
"The capture of Abu Bara is a result of the relentless efforts of the Southern Command to bring the leaders of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group to justice. We will not stop our operation until the rest are neutralized," he said.
Bara, clad in yellow t-shirt with markings "Southcom Detainee," and a pair of white boxer shorts, did not speak to reporters. His hands were cuffed behind his back and always escorted by two soldiers.
Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of military forces in Basilan, said Pael was nabbed in the remote village of Kumalarang in Basilan's Isabela City on Monday after civilians reported his presence to the military.
Ferrer said the militant is facing a string of criminal charges in Basilan.
Last month, troops in Basilan captured an Abu Sayyaf member Abdusalih Dimah in Kapayawan village in Isabela City after weeks of surveillance operation.
Dimah was implicated in the 2001 kidnapping of 20 holiday-makers, including three U.S. citizens -- Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Californian Guillermo Sobero, in the posh Dos Palmas resort in the central Philippine island of Palawan .
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf group as a foreign terror organization and froze its assets abroad.
No comments:
Post a Comment