Top Filipino terrorist killed in US drone attack in Pakistan

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Sayyaf amnesty proposal demoralizes troops, cops in Southern Philippine

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 15, 2009) – A proposal to grant amnesty or open peace negotiations with the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group is causing a demoralization in the police and military in the southern Philippines.

Senator Richard Gordon has proposed to grant amnesty to the terrorist group after the recent release of kidnapped Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni after six months in captivity in the southern island of Sulu.

Sulu deputy governor Nur Ana Sahidulla also said that Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad told her that they are open for talks on amnesty. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom and bombings in the Mindanao.

“We cannot afford to hold a peace talk to the Abu Sayyaf or worst allow they be granted amnesty. The Abu Sayyaf is a terrorist group that had killed not only policemen and soldiers, but innocent people as well.”

“There is growing demoralization now in the ranks of the military in Sulu and perhaps even in areas where soldiers are fighting the Abu Sayyaf,” said one government soldier, who spoke on condition that he would not be named.

Policemen in Sulu province also claimed the proposals to start peace talks or grant amnesty to the Abu Sayyaf has demoralized many of them.

“How many policemen were killed by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu? Our good provincial commander Julasirim Kasim was killed by the terrorists. They murdered innocent civilians, innocent Muslims. There must be no amnesty, not even peace talks. The Abu Sayyaf and their allies must also be killed so we may have peace in Sulu,” a policeman said.

Kasim was ambushed in May and killed along with were his brother and three other policemen.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan has also opposed any amnesty to the Abu Sayyaf, saying, the government does not negotiate with terrorists. He blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings in Sulu.

“There should be no negotiations with terrorists. Terrorists must pay their crimes,” said Tan, who survived a road bombing in May blamed by the police and military to the Abu Sayyaf group.

Tan, backed by the government, has declared a state of emergency in Sulu to allow authorities to run after Abu Sayyaf supporters who are providing them refuge.

Philippine authorities said the Abu Sayyaf has links with the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, who was also involved in the kidnapping of Vagni and two other Red Cross workers Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in January in Sulu’s Patikul town.

Lawmakers also opposed the proposals, saying, it would go against the government’s policy of not negotiating with terrorists.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has rejected any amnesty with the Abu Sayyaf and ordered the military to pursue the terrorist group and its supporters.

The military said it will strictly follow the chain of command and that operations against the Abu Sayyaf will not cease. “The Armed Forces will strictly follow the chain of command. The operation against the Abu Sayyaf is continuing. We are focus in our mission and that is to fight terrorism,” Cacho said.

But Cacho admitted the proposed amnesty and peace talks with the Abu Sayyaf have become a big issue in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It is a political issue. It is for the government to settle, but that’s a big issue in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” she said.

Cacho said they have not received reports that troops were demoralized, but she was quick to say that the military respect the opinions of the soldiers. “Soldiers are entitled to their opinion and this should be respected,” she said.

Secretary Avelino Razon, the presidential peace adviser, also rejected amnesty proposal to the Abu Sayyaf, saying, it goes against the government’s policy of no-negotiations with terrorists.

It was unknown whether the proposed amnesty or peace talks with the Abu Sayyaf would affect US military assistance to the Philippines. Hundreds of US troops are deployed in the southern Philippines, including Sulu, and were helping the local military defeat the Abu Sayyaf since 2001.

The Abu Sayyaf is listed as a foreign terrorist organization by Washington.

Philippine authorities said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists, among them Mauiya, Dulmatin, Zulkifli bin Hir and Umar Patek, who are all wanted by Indonesia for the spate of deadly attacks, including the Bali bombing in 2002, has joined the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture. (Mindanao Examiner)

1 killed, 3 injured in Mindanao bombing

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 26, 2009) – One person was killed and three more injured in a bomb attack Sunday in Sultan Kudarat province in the troubled region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials blamed the bombing in Lebak town to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is fighting for independence in Mindanao.

“One civilian was killed and two others are wounded in the MILF bombing,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

There was no immediate statement from the MILF, but the bombing coincided with the weeklong fighting between security and rebel forces in Maguindanao province where army soldiers killed at least 9 MILF members.

More than a dozen rebel camps and caches of weapons were also captured by troops, Ponce said.

The MILF has previously denied allegations linking them to the spate of bombings targeting civilians in the southern Philippines. “Who else would do such an act of terrorism,? These bombings were perpetrated by the MILF’s SOG under Basit Usman,” Ponce said, referring to the rebel’s special operations group headed by Abdul Basit Usman.

Usman, who was linked by the Philippine military to the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya, is also wanted by the United States for terrorism. And Washington has offered as much as $50,000 reward for his capture.

Peace talks between Manila and the MILF collapsed last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal that the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)

2 wounded in new bombing in southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 22, 2009) – Two civilians were wounded after an improvised bomb exploded near a market in the southern Philippines and security officials linked the attack to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Security officials said there were no casualties in the blast late Tuesday in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province. “A man carrying a back pack left a package in the area and minutes later it exploded,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the MILF was behind the attack, although authorities are still investigating the motive of the bombing.

Ponce said the MILF’s special unit headed by Usman Basit, who is wanted by the United States for terrorism, was behind the attack. Basit was previously linked by the military to Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiya terror group.

Washington also offered up to $50,000 bounty for Basit’s capture.

Ponce said just last week, government troops recovered a cache of weapons left behind by rebels in Maguindanao province. He said the rebels have launched a series of attacks in recent weeks in Mindanao.

The MILF, which is fighting for independence in the restive region, denied any involvement in the latest bombing. “Not us, we have no involvement in the attack. We are pro-people, we are for peace,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Kabalu tied the blast to political feud. “The bombing could be the result of a political feud,” he said without further elaborating.

On Monday, two powerful explosions damaged the Agus Bridge in Lanao del Norte’s Iligan City. The bridge connects several provinces in Mindanao. The military also tagged the MILF as behind the attack.

Manila opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but the negotiations collapsed last year after government negotiators reneged on a deal that would grant some four million Muslims a separate homeland across more than 700 villages in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops clashed with MILF rebels in Zamboanga City

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8 Philippine Troops Wounded In MILF Clash

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MILF rebels attack Philippine Army patrol base in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 9. 2008) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces attacked Thursday a Philippine military patrol base, the second in barely two days in Mindanao, officials said.

Army Major Armand Rico, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters, said rebels harassed the base at around 8.25 a.m. in the village of Pagangan in Aleosan town in North Cotabato province.

“There were no reports of casualties in the latest attack,” he said, but a similar attack late Wednesday at an army detachment left one soldier wounded.

He said about 40 MILF rebels harassed the detachment shortly before 8.30 p.m. in the village of Pagatin in Maguindanao’s Datu Saudi Ampatuan town in the restive Muslim autonomous region.

“One soldier was wounded in the attack,” he said, adding, the rebels were led by Wahid Tundok, a notorious MILF commander wanted by authorities for the spate of bombings in the region.

The attack, the official said, triggered a heavy exchange of gunfire that lasted more than 30 minutes. There were no reports of enemy casualties, he said.

The military previously accused Tundok of providing sanctuary to Abu Sayyaf militants and Jemaah Islamiya bomb-makers Dulmatin and Pitono, both blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings.

It also linked Tundok to another MILF leader Abdul Basit Usman, who has links with the Jemaah Islamiya and wanted by the United States for terrorism.

President Gloria Arroyo has opened up peace talks with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim secessionist rebel group in 2001, but suspended the negotiations last month after rogue commanders led a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Wanted Terror Leader Strikes Anew, Burns Govt Buildings In Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 22, 2008) – A Filipino rebel leader with links to the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya and wanted both by the Philippines and United States governments, struck in the restive region of Mindanao, torching government buildings and civilian houses, officials said Monday.

Abdul Basit Usman and Abas Awab, both have links with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, were tagged by the military as behind the arson attack late Sunday in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province.

Although there were no reports of civilian casualties, the raid sent a chilling warning to authorities that terrorists can still strike despite repeated government assurance that it is on top of the situation.

Tens of thousands of government soldiers are pursuing hundreds of MILF rebels blamed for the series of deadly attacks in Mindanao last month.

But despite the overwhelming numbers of troops involved in the operations, Manila failed to locate Ameril Kato, Abdurahman Macapaar and Sulayman Panglian who led the attacks in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani.

The latest attack added more fears to civilians in areas where the MILF rebels are actively operating.

Colonel Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Usman’s group burned a government medical clinic, a day care center and a building used as office of the Special Zone of Peace and Development agency and civilian houses.

The MILF has disowned Usman, but Ando said the terror leader and Awab are members of the rebel’s 105th Base Command and blamed for the spate of bombings in Mindanao.

“As far as the military is concerned, Usman and Awab are members of the MILF,” Ando said without elaborating further.

The U.S. Government Rewards Program offered up to $50,000 for information leading to Usman’s apprehension.

“Abdul Basit Usman is a known terrorist with links to Jemaah Islamiyah and believed responsible for bombings in Mindanao in October 2006 that killed eight innocent civilians and left 30 others wounded. He is also implicated in a recent series of bomb attacks in Mindanao that killed seven and wounded 37 others,” it said in a statement. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Police Foils Bomb Attack In Troubled South

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 29 Apr) – Philippine soldiers detonated a homemade bomb Sunday in the restive North Cotabato province, south of Manila, officials said.

Officials said the bomb was left near a police post in Tacurong City, but had been discovered before it was to explode. “Soldiers detonated the bomb after police manning the post discovered the explosive,” Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

No group claimed responsibility for the foiled attack, said Col. Danny Garcia, the local army commander.

“We are still investigating who is behind this failed bombing attempt,” Garcia said in a separate interview. “At this point, we cannot pinpoint to any group, but we have tightened security around Tacurong.”

He said the bomb was made from C4 explosive and rigged to a timer. “It had steel pellets and some components taken from a mortar rocket that would trigger detonation,” Garcia said.

The discovery of the bomb came just a day after the United States warned its citizens against traveling to Mindanao island and the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines because of heightened terror activities.

Aside from the United States, Canada an Australia also told their citizens not to travel to the troubled region, where security forces are battling members of the al-Qaeda affiliate Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya and Moro National Liberation Front rebels.

A grenade attack last week in North Cotabato’s Pikit town injured three people working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Unidentified men tossed two grenades on the USAID field office and fled. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Another bomb attack last week in Midsayap town also in North Cotabato also injured one civilian. A man was also killed after a bomb he was transporting exploded in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province near North Cotabto.

Abu Sayyaf militants also beheaded six construction workers and a fisherman they kidnapped in Parang town in Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago two weeks ago. (With a report from Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

U.S. Conducts Hearing On Philippine Political Killings

The Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has scheduled a hearing on the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines on Wednesday.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) chairs the Subcommittee.

Two Filipino human rights advocates are scheduled to testify at the hearing, which was called by Senator Boxer, to find ways to end the violence that has claimed the lives of 833 people since President Gloria Arroyo assumed the Presidency in 2001.

The two Filipino witnesses to the hearing, Bishop Eliezer Pascua, general secretary of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and Marie Hilao-Enriquez, general secretary of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of Human Rights), were part of a 9-member ecumenical delegation who are now in Washington, D.C. to present a new report on the unabated and unpunished series of politically motivated murders in the Philippines and to urge Congress and U.S. church leaders to exert pressure on the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to put an end to the killings.

The delegation will also meet with the staff of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, headed by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-California), in a House briefing.

All members of the Philippine delegation will be in attendance at the briefing.Both the Senate hearing and the House briefing were secured by the concerted efforts of church and ecumenical bodies led by the Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and a former member of Congress, and grassroots organizations in the US that lobbied their respective members of Congress to have the committees of Sen. Boxer and Rep. Lantos hold these meetings at the time that the high-level church delegation from the Philippines is in Washington, DC.

The report on the political killings in the Philippines will be released during the hearing at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and at the briefing with the House Committee Foreign Affairs staff.The Filipino delegation will also present its findings in a conference in Washington starting today until March 14.

The International Ecumenical Conference on Human Rights in the Philippines, has been called by US, Canadian and ecumenical church leaders specifically to address the human rights situation in the Philippines.Others scheduled to testify at the Senate subcommittee committee hearing are Eric John, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; Jonathan Farrar, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Department; T. Kumar, advocacy director for Asia and Pacific of Amnesty International USA; and G. Eugene Martin, executive director of the PhilippineFacilitation Project of the US Institute of Peace.

Aside from Pascua and Hilao-Enriquez, the other members of the delegation are Sharon Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes, general secretary of National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP); Fr. Jose P. Dizon, executive director of the Workers Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC); Bishop Solito Toquero, resident bishop of the United Methodist Church (UMC); Rev. Deogracias Iniguez, the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Kalookan; Atty. Edre Olalia, of the Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL). Also Athea Peñalosa, information and publicity coordinator of the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC; Amirah Ali Lidasan, secretary-general and co-founder of the Moro-Christian People’s Alliance.

Since January 2001, the number of persons killed in political assassinations has reached 833, according to Karapatan. In 2006 alone, there were 207 extra-judicial killings in the Philippines, which translates to an average of four persons killed per week. Prior to the Philippines human rights conference, the delegation also spoke about the condition in the Philippines at the fifth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days Conference, March 10 – 12, in Washington.

The conference was attended by some 1,300 faith-based and civil society leaders and activists concerned with U.S. foreign and domestic policies.The Philippine report, “’Let the Stones Cry Out‘: An Ecumenical Report on Human Rights in the Philippines and a Call to Action.” was prepared by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

The 86-page report details cases of political killings and studies the chilling pattern and alarming proportions with which these assaults on life were perpetrated.The report links the unbridled political killings to the Arroyo government’s counter-insurgency program.

“The manner with which the victims were executed or abducted was done professionally and systematically, establishing a connection between the national security strategy and the incidents of violations,” the NCCP said in the report.

The document likewise mentions the poor record of the Philippine government in complying not only with the procedures required of a member of the United Nationsbut also of its failure to adhere to its declared commitments to the UN HumanRights Council.

The report to be released by the NCCP is the latest one to pin the responsibility for the killings to Philippine military and security forces.On February 21, Prof. Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to “acknowledge” its involvement in the extra-judicialkillings and conduct a “genuine” investigation.

The UN Special Rapporteur spent ten days in the Philippines to investigate the extra-judicial killings and related human rights violations and met with President Arroyo and other government officials , human rights groups and victims’ familiesOn March 6, the U.S. State Department, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, said that during the year, a number of unexplained killings in the Philippines were committed “apparently by elements of the security forces.”

The human rights situation in the Philippines has gone so bad that even the commission formed by President Arroyo herself to investigate the political killings came out with a report naming a retired Philippine Army General Jovito Palparan along with other generals as the “prime suspect behind the extra-judicial killings” in the country.

The commission, headed by a former Supreme Court justice, called on President Arroyo to punish those who were responsible for the killings.Victims were killed for their political beliefs, for exercising their freedom of expression and for opting to live by their Christian mission of serving their fellow brethren.

Among those killed were lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, church leaders, local officials, community leaders and organizers, students, peasants, indigenous leaders, workers, professionals, women and children. Twenty-five church people were among those who were killed. (www.philippinesadvocacy.org)

US Seeks Help Of Philippine Muslim Rebels To Help Capture Jemaah, Al-Qaeda Terrorists

U.S. soldiers are to begin a joint military drill with Philippines troops in Jolo and Mindanao islands in Southern Philippines. The country's largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, on Friday 16 Feb 2007 says Washington is seeking its help to help capture Jemaah Islamiya bombers Dumatin and Umar Patek and Filipino terrorists with links to al-Qaeda. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 16 Feb) – A group of senior U.S. officials held a secret meeting with the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group and sought help to capture Indonesian and Filipino militants with links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror network, a rebel spokesman said Friday.

The meeting took place inside a rebel base of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Shariff Kabunsuan on Mindanao island, a hot bed of insurgency in the southern Philippines.

A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the meeting on Thursday was centered on the hunt for Jemaah Islamiya militants Dulmatin and Umar Patek, tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including 88 Australian holiday-makers.

And for the capture of Filipino militant Abdulbasit Usman, blamed for the spate of bombings in Mindanao and linked by Philippine authorities to the Jemaah Islamiya and al-Qaeda. Usman has a 50,000 dollar bounty on his head for his arrest.

Kabalu said U.S. Chargé d' affaires Paul Jones and U.S. Army Col. David Maxwell, commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, led the group in meeting MILF deputy chief, Ghazali Jaafar. The meeting was long, he said.

“They came to us and sought our help to capture the terrorists. The MILF signed an accord with the Philippine government and rebel forces are helping authorities hunt down these criminals through the ad-hoc joint action group.”

“As a matter of fact, the MILF, through the ad-hoc joint action group, provided vital intelligence about terrorists. The MILF is fighting these criminals because we are also affected by their activities,” Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner.

He did not identify other U.S. officials who accompanied Jones.

But other rebel sources said aside from Jones and Maxwell, Jon Lindborg, mission director of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Col. Bruce West, U.S. Embassy Defense Attaché' and Paul Kennedy, a regional security officer, were also in the meeting.

Philippine security officials said Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda were coddling Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago, about 950 km south of Manila.

And Usman is hiding in Maguindanao province, a stronghold of the MILF on Mindanao island.
The Adnkronos International on Friday also reported about how the U.S. officials secretly met with the MILF and asked for help in the hunt for Dulmatin and Patek.

It quoted Jaafar as saying: "They want us to help by providing vital information that will lead to the arrest of the two terrorists. I said we could help them because we are also against the two. We are always affected by their activities."

"They asked also about the whereabouts of Abdul Basit Usman. We told them that he never became a member of our organization ever since," Jaafar added.

Washington offered as much as $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's head. The MILF renounced any link with terrorist organizations in 2003 when its late leader, Salamat Hashim, asked Washington to get involved in the peace talks with Manila.

Regarding the peace talks, Jaafar said Washington reiterated its concern for the current problems encountered.

Manila began peace negotiations with the MILF in 2001, but no major accord has been signed by both sides, except for a cease-fire agreement. And many rebels are slowly losing their patience on the five-year old peace talks.

Peace talks ended in September last year in Malaysia with both sides failing to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue -- ancestral domain -- which refers to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

It is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.

Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is brokering the peace talks.

"They are concerned with peace process. They want to help and strengthen their peace initiatives in Mindanao," Jaafar said.

A day before Jone's visit to the MILF camp, a six-man delegation from European Union led by Alistar MacDonald, Ambassador of the European Community to the Philippines, also met rebel leaders in the same venue.

"They reiterated their commitment to help and resolve the problem in Mindanao through the negotiations. We welcomed their concern because you know we really want an end to the problem," Jaafar said.

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim previously warned that Manila should be blamed if the peace talks fail. He said the talks are now passing “a turbulent area” and that the Filipino government must take responsibility for the breakdown of the negotiations.

“This signals that we are now on the danger zone of the peace talks,” Ebrahim said.

The MILF has rejected Manila's offer for a limited autonomy in the mineral-rich, but restive Mindanao island, home to about 4 million Muslims who want a separate Islamic state. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Abdul Basit Usman

The United States Embassy in Manila releases Tuesday 30 Jan 2007 a poster of Abdul Basit Usman, it says is behind the spate of bombings in Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. The U.S. also offered up to $50,000 bounty for Usman's capture. (Mindanao Examiner)

U.S. Offers Bounty For Capture Of Filipino Terrorist Linked To Mindanao Bombings

Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters, armed with machine gun and B40 anti-tank rockets, guard a village in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 30 Jan) – The United States on Tuesday offered up to $50,000 bounty for the capture of a Filipino terrorist implicated in the spate of bombings in the southern Philippines.

The bounty on the head of Abdul Basit Usman is part of the U.S. Government Rewards Program. Usman was linked to deadly bomb attacks in Mindanao in recent months.

Usman has been linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah and believed responsible for bombings in Mindanao in October 2006 that killed eight civilians and left 30 others wounded.

He was also implicated in a series of bomb attacks in January in the Mindanao cities of General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato that killed seven people and wounded 37 more.

Philippine authorities previously linked Usman to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group currently negotiating peace with Manila.

But the MILF has repeatedly denied the allegation and ordered rebel forces to hunt down Usman and bring him to justice.

A rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said rebels were ordered to track down Usman and capture him dead or alive.

“Abdul Basit Usman is not a member of the MILF. Rebel forces were ordered to help Philippine authorities to hunt down and capture Abdul Basit Usman,” Kabalu said.

Kabalu said the bounty offered by Washington only proves that Usman is a dangerous man.

“This really proves that Usman is a very dangerous man. The bounty offered by the United States will add more credibility in its anti-terrorism campaign in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” he said.

He said the MILF would continue to help Philippine authorities track down terrorists even without financial reward. “Money is not all important to us, but to bring peace and stability to Mindanao,” he said.

Police charged 10 MILF members, including Usman and a rebel leader Wahid Tundok for the January 5 and January 10 bombings in Cotabato City that killed one Muslim man.

“Usman and Tundok are both included in the charge sheet, along with eight other suspected bombers,” Cotabato City police spokesman Insp. Waves Kasuyo said.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said the identity of any individuals providing information about Usman will remain strictly confidential.

“It is time to bring this despicable terrorist to justice. Anyone with information on Abdul Basit Usman, or any other terrorist, is encouraged to contact the Anti- Terrorist Task Force by calling 117, (02) 528-9832, (02) 928-5778, or contact the U.S. Embassy in Manila at (02) 526-9832/9833/9834 or send a text message to 0918-948-6412,” it said.

The MILF also denied that Tundok was involved in the bombings in the southern Philippines. “Our doors are open for any investigation. We have no links with any terrorist groups and are sincere with the peace talks,” Kabalu said.

The MILF is fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)