ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 15, 2008) – A senior rebel leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front implicated by Philippine authorities to the spate of attacks and banditry was killed in a firefight in Zamboanga Sibugay province, officials said Sunday.
Philippine Army Major General Nehemias Pajarito said soldiers and policemen clashed with MILF leader Akiddin Abdusalam, also known as Commander Kiddie, in the town of Kabasalan and eventually killing the rebel leader tagged as behind the kidnappings of Three Italian missionaries in Mindanao.
Pajarito, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said the clash occurred Saturday afternoon, but the identity of Abdusalam was just confirmed the next day. Two of Abdusalam’s aides managed to escape, but one is believed wounded in the fighting and we are tracking him down, he said.
“We have already suspicion that it was Akiddin who was killed, but our forces on just got the confirmation today. At least we got one notorious terrorist leader and with the killing of Akiddin, we hope peace will soon return to the province,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Abdusalam was spotted near the town’s wharf at around 4. 15 p.m. Security forces tried to arrest Abdusalam, but he fought off the soldiers sparking a firefight. There were no casualties on the government side, Pajarito said.
Pajarito said the slain rebel leader was behind many banditry and piracy in Mindanao and was tagged also as one of the gang leaders that kidnapped Fr Luciano Benedetti in Zamboanga del Norte province in 1998.
And Fr Giuseppe Pierantoni in 2001 in Zamboanga del Sur and Fr Giancarlo Bossi in June last year in Zamboanga Sibugay province. All Italian priests were freed after private negotiators paid huge ransoms.
Abdusalam was also linked to last month’s bombing outside a Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga that killed three people and wounded more than a dozen others. Security forces are fighting Muslim and communist rebels in the southern Philippines, including the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
Eid Kabalu, a rebel leader, said Abdusalam was long expelled from the MILF because of his criminal past. “We no longer care about Akiddin because he was expelled long time ago from our organization because of his criminal activities. We do not tolerate criminals,” he said in a separate interview.
The MILF is the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group which is engage in peace talks with the government. (Mindanao Examiner)
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