ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 29, 2009) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants attacked a police post Tuesday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where security forces are battling the group blamed for the spate of terrorism in the restive region, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police said an improvised explosive was used in the attack in the village of Kasanyangan, but there were no reports of casualties. “This is the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf. We have tightened security in the villages to prevent future attacks,” said Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, commander of police forces in the capital town of Jolo.
He said the explosion occurred at around 10.30 a.m. and targeted the command post of the Regional Mobile Group. The attack occurred three days after policemen killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, Karim Juldani, and captured another Albashir Adjili, in a firefight in Jolo town.
The two, Pingay said, were trying to sneak into Jolo when policemen stopped them near a checkpoint. He said police seized weapons from the two men.
Pingay ordered additional checkpoints around the town and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant and report to the police or military suspicious persons in their area.
“We must defeat terrorism. Citizens should stay vigilant,” he said.
The attack occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
Fighting in Sulu between troops and militants had killed 42 people, including eight marines who were ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town last week. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the attack.
The Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, accused the military of attacking its forces in Sulu’s Indanan town. It said troops shelled one of its camps, killing two of its members and wounding 8 more.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command denied the accusations and said the offensive targeted the militant groups – the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya – adding, two of its feared terror leaders Mauiya and Quayem are being protected by the Abu Sayyaf.
Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF still continues in Sulu. “Up to this time, the military offensive is going on,” he said on Tuesday.
He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibunm who had escaped a military raid last week. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)
Showing posts with label Jemaah Islamiya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jemaah Islamiya. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Police post attacked in South RP
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
US-backed RP troops hunt for JI, Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu
Mist envelopes the magnificent Tulay Mosque in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants since Sunday, September 20, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 22, 2009) – Philippine troops backed by US military intelligence on Tuesday continue to hunt for Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the southern island of Sulu, where dozens of rebels and soldiers were killed in fierce clashes since last week, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.
Regional military chief Major General Benjamin Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leaders – Dr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan – including two foreign Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 gunmen.
Mauiya, believed to an Indian national, was among those previously tagged by the Philippine authorities as behind the kidnappings early this year of three international Red Cross workers in Sulu. But little is known about Quayem.
“Our forces are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and JI terrorists. We will get them sooner or later,” Dolorfino said.
He said at least 34 Abu Sayyaf militants and 8 soldiers were killed in the fighting since Sunday in the hinterlands of Indanan town. Among those killed on the side of the Abu Sayyaf was Ustadz Muktar, a cousin of Hapilon, whom is wanted by the US for terrorism.
Dolorfino said the US military has been providing intelligence to the Philippine military in the hunt for the terrorists. “The US military is providing intelligence support,” he said without elaborating.
But US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu province since 2006 and assisting the local military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf.
Police are also on alert for retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf after security forces captured one of their main camps in Indanan town.
Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, head of police in the capital town of Jolo, said he had received intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf plans to attack after their largest camp on the island was overran by troops.
He said police had set up more road checkpoints and were conducting more foot patrols.
“We are in heightened alert. We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may launch an attack in Jolo, probably as retaliation to the ongoing military offensive,” Pingay told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
Dolorfino said the fall of the Abu Sayyaf camp was a big blow to the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group. “The capture of the Abu Sayyaf camp is a big blow to the enemy because it is one of their main strongholds in Sulu,” he said.
The seized Abu Sayyaf camp was near to the base of former Moro National Liberation Front rebels, who were believed coddling the militants, according to Dolorfino.
“The Abu Sayyaf camp was a convenient sanctuary because of the presence of the MNLF base and some former rebels are protecting these terrorists because either they are relatives or family members,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many former guerrillas were disgruntled with the accord, saying, the Arroyo government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living. They accused Manila of failing to develop war-torn areas in the south.
Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
Many of the former MNLF fighters have joined the Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is now negotiating peace with the government. (Mindanao Examiner)
Regional military chief Major General Benjamin Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leaders – Dr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan – including two foreign Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 gunmen.
Mauiya, believed to an Indian national, was among those previously tagged by the Philippine authorities as behind the kidnappings early this year of three international Red Cross workers in Sulu. But little is known about Quayem.
“Our forces are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and JI terrorists. We will get them sooner or later,” Dolorfino said.
He said at least 34 Abu Sayyaf militants and 8 soldiers were killed in the fighting since Sunday in the hinterlands of Indanan town. Among those killed on the side of the Abu Sayyaf was Ustadz Muktar, a cousin of Hapilon, whom is wanted by the US for terrorism.
Dolorfino said the US military has been providing intelligence to the Philippine military in the hunt for the terrorists. “The US military is providing intelligence support,” he said without elaborating.
But US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu province since 2006 and assisting the local military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf.
Police are also on alert for retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf after security forces captured one of their main camps in Indanan town.
Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, head of police in the capital town of Jolo, said he had received intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf plans to attack after their largest camp on the island was overran by troops.
He said police had set up more road checkpoints and were conducting more foot patrols.
“We are in heightened alert. We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may launch an attack in Jolo, probably as retaliation to the ongoing military offensive,” Pingay told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
Dolorfino said the fall of the Abu Sayyaf camp was a big blow to the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group. “The capture of the Abu Sayyaf camp is a big blow to the enemy because it is one of their main strongholds in Sulu,” he said.
The seized Abu Sayyaf camp was near to the base of former Moro National Liberation Front rebels, who were believed coddling the militants, according to Dolorfino.
“The Abu Sayyaf camp was a convenient sanctuary because of the presence of the MNLF base and some former rebels are protecting these terrorists because either they are relatives or family members,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many former guerrillas were disgruntled with the accord, saying, the Arroyo government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living. They accused Manila of failing to develop war-torn areas in the south.
Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
Many of the former MNLF fighters have joined the Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is now negotiating peace with the government. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sulu fighting subsides; leaves Sayyaf gunman dead, 4 soldiers wounded
A private security guard is silhouetted by the sun as he mans his post at the Jolo port in Sulu province in the southern Philippines. Military and Abu Sayyaf militants clashed in Sulu’s Indanan town over the weekend, leaving a gunman dead and four soldiers wounded. ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 21, 2009) – Fighting subsided on Monday between security forces and al-Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.
Officials said four soldiers were wounded in the weekend fighting that also left one Abu Sayyaf militant dead in the hinterland of Indanan town. “We are now on a defensive position,” said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command.
He said troops clashed with more than 200 militants in the town and that dozens had come from the nearby province of Basilan and reinforced the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.
It was unknown why the military failed to detect or intercept about 40 Abu Sayyaf gunmen who arrived by boat in Sulu on Sunday morning.
The fighting in the province erupted after security forces shelled suspected Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya lairs in Indanan town, but a senior rebel leader of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, Madarang Sali, said the offensive targeted former Moro rebels under Khaid Ajibun.
Sali said the military attacked Ajibun’s camp without provocation, an accusation strongly denied by the military.
“We are not attacking the MNLF camp. The operation is directed at the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya position in the village of Buanza in Indanan town,” Hontiveros said.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are hiding and being by Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu - among them are Mauiya, Dulmatin, Zulkifli bin Hir and Umar Patek - who are all wanted for the spate of deadly attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia, including the Bali bombing in 2002. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist groups alongside with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Bomb defused in southern Philippine city
Explosive experts defused an improvised explosive planted at a waiting shed along the national highway in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines on Friday, July 24, 2009. Early this month, a bomb explosion ripped through a stall selling roasted pig outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Six people were killed in the blast. The spate of deadly bombings in the Philippines were blamed by authorities to Moro rebels and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya which was tagged as behind the attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta recently. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 24, 2009) - Military bomb experts have defused late Friday an improvised explosive planted at a waiting shed in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the bomb was believed planted by Moro rebels. The discovery of the explosive came a day after President Gloria Arroyo ordered the military to halt offensives against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting the past three decades for self-determination.
Early this month, a bomb explosion ripped through a stall selling roasted pig outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Six people were killed in the blast.
The spate of deadly bombings in the Philippines were blamed by authorities to Moro rebels and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya which was tagged as behind the attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta recently. (With a report from Mark Navales)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Philippine Navy steps up anti-terror ops in Mindanao
Members of the Philippine Navy’s Special Warfare Assault Group inspect a trawler for explosives or illegal weapons Tuesday, July 22, 2009 near Pilas group of islands in the Sulu Sea off Zamboanga City. Admiral Alexander Pama, a regional navy chief, has ordered an intensified patrol in the troubled region following the recent bombings of the Marriot and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Indonesia and the spate of bombings in Mindanao and Sulu in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 22, 2009) – The Philippine Navy has stepped up its patrol in the southern region of Mindanao following the spate of bombings and attacks blamed on terrorists.
Authorities blamed the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels for the series of bombings in Sulu and Mindanao in recent weeks that left scores of civilians dead and wounded.
Indonesia also tagged the Jemaah Islamiya for the recent suicide bombings of the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta which killed nine people and wounded at least 53 others.
“We have stepped up our security patrol. We are fighting terrorism here,” Admiral Alexander Pama, the navy’s regional commander in Mindanao, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said navy gunboats regularly patrol the Moro Gulf, the Mindanao, Sulu and Celebes seas, an area where pirates are actively operating.
Last week, authorities seized some 350 kilos of banned ammonium nitrate and 1,800 pieces of blasting caps and detonating cords from a cargo vessel in the central Philippine province of Cebu that was heading for Iligan City in Mindanao.
The spikes in bomb attacks in Mindanao and Sulu also coincided with the release of three kidnapped Red Cross workers held by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.
The trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni – was kidnapped in January in Sulu after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.
Lacaba and Notter were freed separately in April, while Vagni was released this month and there were persistent reports that ransoms had been paid to the Abu Sayyaf for their liberty.
It was, however, unknown whether the ransoms had been used to finance the bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia. The Red Cross denied that it paid ransoms to the kidnappers.
The military has last week deployed hundreds of soldiers in Basilan and Sulu provinces to crush the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)
Authorities blamed the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels for the series of bombings in Sulu and Mindanao in recent weeks that left scores of civilians dead and wounded.
Indonesia also tagged the Jemaah Islamiya for the recent suicide bombings of the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta which killed nine people and wounded at least 53 others.
“We have stepped up our security patrol. We are fighting terrorism here,” Admiral Alexander Pama, the navy’s regional commander in Mindanao, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said navy gunboats regularly patrol the Moro Gulf, the Mindanao, Sulu and Celebes seas, an area where pirates are actively operating.
Last week, authorities seized some 350 kilos of banned ammonium nitrate and 1,800 pieces of blasting caps and detonating cords from a cargo vessel in the central Philippine province of Cebu that was heading for Iligan City in Mindanao.
The spikes in bomb attacks in Mindanao and Sulu also coincided with the release of three kidnapped Red Cross workers held by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.
The trio – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni – was kidnapped in January in Sulu after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.
Lacaba and Notter were freed separately in April, while Vagni was released this month and there were persistent reports that ransoms had been paid to the Abu Sayyaf for their liberty.
It was, however, unknown whether the ransoms had been used to finance the bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia. The Red Cross denied that it paid ransoms to the kidnappers.
The military has last week deployed hundreds of soldiers in Basilan and Sulu provinces to crush the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Terrorists free Italian hostage in the Philippines
Freed Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni at a military base Sunday, July 12, 2009 in Jolo town in Sulu province in southern Philippines. And after his arrival in Zamboanga City en route to Manila where his anxious family and friends are waiting. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 12, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants have freed Before dawn Sunday an Italian aid worker kidnapped in January in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, police said.
Police said Eugenio Vagni was released to Sulu deputy governor Nur Ana Sahidulla at around 1.15 a.m. near Parang town. Vagni, the last of three Red Cross workers kidnapped by the militants, was brought to a military hospital in Jolo town where doctors examiner the 62-year old aid worker.
It was unknown if ransom was paid for Vagni’s liberty, but the militants originally demanded as much as $2 million for his safe release. No other details were made available by the police and security officials did not give any statement.
ABS-CBN television, which quoted unnamed sources, reported that the military would swap two wives of an Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad for Vagni.
The two women, Rowena Aksan and Nursima Annudden, were arrested at a military checkpoint in Tagbak village in Indanan town on Tuesday along with four other militants Rabia Asiri, Marwina Salasain, Madrimar Bagadi and Midsfar Aksan. Soldiers also seized from them more than P300,000.
The six were also implicated in the kidnappings of Vagni and two other Red Cross workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.
Both Notter and Lacaba were freed separately in April by the Abu Sayyaf, but there were suspicions that ransoms were paid for their liberty. The Red Cross denied it paid ransoms.
The Abu Sayyaf had previously used ransoms collected from kidnappings to purchase weapons and finance terror attacks in Sulu and Mindanao.
Just barely two months after the Abu Sayyaf freed Lacaba and Notter, a series of bombings occurred in Mindanao that left scores of people dead and wounded. Authorities blamed the attacks to the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya.
It was not immediately known whether the supposed ransoms paid for the release of the aid workers were used to finance the bombings.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped Vagni’s group - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaan Islamiya as foreign terrorist groups alongside with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police said Eugenio Vagni was released to Sulu deputy governor Nur Ana Sahidulla at around 1.15 a.m. near Parang town. Vagni, the last of three Red Cross workers kidnapped by the militants, was brought to a military hospital in Jolo town where doctors examiner the 62-year old aid worker.
It was unknown if ransom was paid for Vagni’s liberty, but the militants originally demanded as much as $2 million for his safe release. No other details were made available by the police and security officials did not give any statement.
ABS-CBN television, which quoted unnamed sources, reported that the military would swap two wives of an Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad for Vagni.
The two women, Rowena Aksan and Nursima Annudden, were arrested at a military checkpoint in Tagbak village in Indanan town on Tuesday along with four other militants Rabia Asiri, Marwina Salasain, Madrimar Bagadi and Midsfar Aksan. Soldiers also seized from them more than P300,000.
The six were also implicated in the kidnappings of Vagni and two other Red Cross workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.
Both Notter and Lacaba were freed separately in April by the Abu Sayyaf, but there were suspicions that ransoms were paid for their liberty. The Red Cross denied it paid ransoms.
The Abu Sayyaf had previously used ransoms collected from kidnappings to purchase weapons and finance terror attacks in Sulu and Mindanao.
Just barely two months after the Abu Sayyaf freed Lacaba and Notter, a series of bombings occurred in Mindanao that left scores of people dead and wounded. Authorities blamed the attacks to the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya.
It was not immediately known whether the supposed ransoms paid for the release of the aid workers were used to finance the bombings.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped Vagni’s group - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaan Islamiya as foreign terrorist groups alongside with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Security forces alerted in Mindanao
Army soldiers and policemen man a check point near Esteros Bridge in Cotabato City and Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao province Thursday, July 09, 2009. Four people were killed and dozens injured in a recent bomb attack outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Authorities blame the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and Moro rebels for the blast. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 9, 2009) - Philippine security forces were alerted Thursday for more terror attacks in the troubled region of Mindanao following the spate of bombings that killed at least 6 people and wounded dozens more.
Soldiers and policemen were deployed in many areas in the Muslim autonomous region and other parts of Mindanao to thwart possible attacks by terrorists.
Cotabato and Iligan cities were bombed this week and authorities blamed Moro rebels and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya for the attacks.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels denied any involvement in the series of bomb attacks in the troubled South and called for an independent investigation into the blasts.
The MILF blamed the military for the attacks, saying, it was part of a government plot to justify the possible declaration of a state of emergency by President Gloria Arroyo.
In Manila, Army Major General Jogy Fojas said they have received reports that MILF rebels, the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya are in the Philippine capital and were planning to carry out bombings in civilian areas and military camps.
Fojas' statement was denied by the Philippine police and militant groups branded the report as a prelude to more attacks by soldiers and blamed them to the rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)
Philippines holds 7 terror suspects
Soldiers escort a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant Hakim Jajirim who was captured in a raid in Jolo town in the southern Philippine island of Sulu on Thursday, July 9, 2009. Police and soldiers seized assorted gun parts, including an M60 machine gun in his hideout late Wednesday. Security forces also captured two wives of militant leader Albader Parad and four other suspected Abu Sayyaf members in Sulu on Tuesday. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan). ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 9, 2009) – Philippine soldiers captured 7 people believed to have links with Abu Sayyaf militants tied to Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya in the southern island of Sulu, officials said on Thursday.
Officials said among the seven were two wives of a militant leader Albader Parad and a man suspected of supplying weapons to the Abu Sayyaf.
The man was captured on Wednesday by soldiers and policemen at a hideout in Jolo town, said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
“He is undergoing tactical interrogation,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.
Parad’s wives and four other militants, who were arrested in Indanan on Tuesday, are also being investigated for their roles in a deadly bombing that killed 2 people in Jolo.
The six were also implicated in the kidnappings of three Red Cross workers Swiss national Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni in January in Patikul town. Both Notter and Lacaba were freed by the Abu Sayyaf on suspicion that ransom was paid for their liberty.
Television reports identified the wives of Parad as Rowena Aksan and Nursima Annudden while their companions were Rabia Asiri, Marwina Salasain, Madrimar Bagadi and Midsfar Aksan.
ABS-CBN reported that soldiers also seized more than P300,000 from the group intercepted at a military checkpoint in the village of Tagbak.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped the aid workers - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose name means “bearer of the sword” in Arabic, split from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization that also boasts of ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said among the seven were two wives of a militant leader Albader Parad and a man suspected of supplying weapons to the Abu Sayyaf.
The man was captured on Wednesday by soldiers and policemen at a hideout in Jolo town, said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
“He is undergoing tactical interrogation,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.
Parad’s wives and four other militants, who were arrested in Indanan on Tuesday, are also being investigated for their roles in a deadly bombing that killed 2 people in Jolo.
The six were also implicated in the kidnappings of three Red Cross workers Swiss national Andreas Notter, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Italian Eugenio Vagni in January in Patikul town. Both Notter and Lacaba were freed by the Abu Sayyaf on suspicion that ransom was paid for their liberty.
Television reports identified the wives of Parad as Rowena Aksan and Nursima Annudden while their companions were Rabia Asiri, Marwina Salasain, Madrimar Bagadi and Midsfar Aksan.
ABS-CBN reported that soldiers also seized more than P300,000 from the group intercepted at a military checkpoint in the village of Tagbak.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped the aid workers - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose name means “bearer of the sword” in Arabic, split from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization that also boasts of ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to Mindanao where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Southern Philippines hit by twin bombings; JI, Abu Sayyaf blamed for attacks
Police surround an area in Jolo town in Sulu province in the southern Philippines where a motorcycle bomb exploded Tuesday, July 7, 2009 and killed two people and wounded 24 others. A car bomb also exploded in Iligan City in Mindanao, killing one person and wounding 10 more. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan and Merlyn Manos)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 7, 2009) – Three people were killed and at least 34 others injured in separate bombings Tuesday in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said two people were killed and 24 more wounded in a motorcycle bomb explosion near the Mount Carmen Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province. The blast, which occurred around 7.45 a.m., damaged several hardware stores.
“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and the type of explosive used in this attack. But there were scattered remains of a motorcycle in the area and confirming our suspicion that a motorcycle bomb was used in the attack,” Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
He said the bomb exploded in front of the Go Teck Leng hardware and the blast killed Vicky Sia, 62, and Hamsirani Hamsi, 60. He said among the wounded were three policemen.
Jolo town Mayor Hussin Amin said a second improvised explosive, assembled from an 81mm mortar bomb, and planted at police booth outside the church was also disarmed by soldiers.
The wounded were rushed to hospital in Jolo. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror Jemaah Islamiya are largely blamed by the police and military for the attack.
“We suspect that those behind the bombing could be the same group that detonated a motorcycle bomb at the convoy of Governor Sakur Tan,” Amin said.
The mayor was referring to the failed assassination of Tan in May. Tan’s convoy was bombed outside his office while returning home from work, injuring 10 people.
One person was also killed and at least 10 people wounded - three of them soldiers - after a car bomb exploded in Iligan City three hours later.
The car bomb exploded near an army jeep which was parked adjacent to a pawnshop in downtown Iligan and among the wounded were three soldiers. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous bombings in Mindanao had been largely blamed by authorities also to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya.
“The explosion occurred at around 10.30 a.m. We still don’t know who was behind the latest bombing. It’s too early to speculate, but the attacks are escalating,” said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the target of the bombing was the military convoy. “The bombing in Iligan targeted the convoy,” he said in a television interview.
Blancaflor, who also head a government anti-terror task force, said they still do not know if the attacks were coordinated or not. “But the effect of this is to sow terror,” he said.
It was the second bomb attack this week outside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines. On Sunday, an improvised bomb exploded outside a church in Cotabato City in Mindanao and killed 5 people and wounded 55 more. (With reports from Nickee Butlangan in Sulu and Merlyn Manos in Iligan City)
Bomb explodes outside Catholic chuch in Jolo town, 2 killed, 17 others wounded
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 7, 2009) – Two people were killed and at least 17 others were injured after a bomb explosion Tuesday near a Catholic church in Jolo town in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.
Witnesses said another improvised explosive was found outside the Mount Carmel Catholic cathedral and had been disarmed by Filipino and US troops. The US is helping the local military defeat terrorism in Sulu.
"They have recovered another bomb. There were US and Filipino soldiers, they disarmed the bomb," one witness said in cell phone text message sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
The wounded were rushed to hospital. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror Jemaah Islamiya are largely blamed by the police for the attack.
The blast, which occurred around 7.45 a.m., damaged several hardware stores, police said.
“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and the type of explosive used in this attack. But there were scattered remains of a motorcycle in the area and bolstering our suspicion that a motorcycle bomb was used in the attack,” Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
He said the bomb exploded in front of the Go Teck Leng hardware and the blast killed Vicky Sia, 62, and Hamsirani Hamsi, 60. He said among the wounded were three policemen.
It was the second bomb attack this week outside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines. On Sunday, an improvised bomb exploded outside a church in Cotabato City in Mindanao and killed 5 people and wounded 55 more. The military blamed the attack to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)
Witnesses said another improvised explosive was found outside the Mount Carmel Catholic cathedral and had been disarmed by Filipino and US troops. The US is helping the local military defeat terrorism in Sulu.
"They have recovered another bomb. There were US and Filipino soldiers, they disarmed the bomb," one witness said in cell phone text message sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
The wounded were rushed to hospital. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Abu Sayyaf militants with links to the Indonesian terror Jemaah Islamiya are largely blamed by the police for the attack.
The blast, which occurred around 7.45 a.m., damaged several hardware stores, police said.
“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and the type of explosive used in this attack. But there were scattered remains of a motorcycle in the area and bolstering our suspicion that a motorcycle bomb was used in the attack,” Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Jolo.
He said the bomb exploded in front of the Go Teck Leng hardware and the blast killed Vicky Sia, 62, and Hamsirani Hamsi, 60. He said among the wounded were three policemen.
It was the second bomb attack this week outside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines. On Sunday, an improvised bomb exploded outside a church in Cotabato City in Mindanao and killed 5 people and wounded 55 more. The military blamed the attack to Moro rebels and Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Filipino terrorist arrested in Mindanao
ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2009) – Security forces arrested Thursday a Filipino bomber believed to have links with the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, reports said.
It said Ansar Venancio, who tagged as behind the spate of bombings in Mindanao and Manila, had been arrested in Marawi City after a long surveillance operation.
Venancio was implicated in the bombings of a commuter train in Manila in 2000 and the airport in Davao City in Mindanao three years later. Dozens of people were killed and wounded in the bombings.
He was said to be with the group of Jemaah Islamiya bomber Fathur Roman Al-Ghozi, who was killed in a clash with Filipino policemen in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
It said Ansar Venancio, who tagged as behind the spate of bombings in Mindanao and Manila, had been arrested in Marawi City after a long surveillance operation.
Venancio was implicated in the bombings of a commuter train in Manila in 2000 and the airport in Davao City in Mindanao three years later. Dozens of people were killed and wounded in the bombings.
He was said to be with the group of Jemaah Islamiya bomber Fathur Roman Al-Ghozi, who was killed in a clash with Filipino policemen in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Troops clash with Sayyafs in southern Philippines; fate of Italian Red Cross hostage unknown
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2009) – Government troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where the terrorist group is still holding a kidnapped Italian aid worker, officials said.
Officials said at least two soldiers were killed and five more wounded in the fighting in the town of Indanan, said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman. "Two soldiers are killed and five others were wounded in the fighting. An undetermined number of Abu Sayyafs are also killed," she told the Mindanao Examiner.
Cacho said security forces clashed with some 150 militants under Abu Sayyaf leaders Abu Pula and Albader Parad in the village of Malimbaya. It was unknown whether the hostage, Eugenio Vagni, a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was with the group of Pula and Parad.
It was unknown whether the hostage, Eugenio Vagni, a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was with the group of Pula and Parad.
There were no reports about Vagni, who was kidnapped January 15 in Patikul town with fellow aid workers Andreas Notter, a Swiss national and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba. Both Lacaba and Notter had been released separately last month.
Abu Pula, also a former Moro National Liberation Front rebel, is called "Dr. Abu" by some people because of his purported ability to perform crude treatments on wounded guerrillas and ailing villagers.
The Abu Sayyaf i listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
Philippine authorities said the Abu Sayyaf was behind the spate of bombings and kidnappings-for-ransom in the southern region. Most of the ransoms it gets are being used for the purchase weapons and to finance terrorism.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among those holding the aid workers - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said at least two soldiers were killed and five more wounded in the fighting in the town of Indanan, said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman. "Two soldiers are killed and five others were wounded in the fighting. An undetermined number of Abu Sayyafs are also killed," she told the Mindanao Examiner.
Cacho said security forces clashed with some 150 militants under Abu Sayyaf leaders Abu Pula and Albader Parad in the village of Malimbaya. It was unknown whether the hostage, Eugenio Vagni, a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was with the group of Pula and Parad.
It was unknown whether the hostage, Eugenio Vagni, a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was with the group of Pula and Parad.
There were no reports about Vagni, who was kidnapped January 15 in Patikul town with fellow aid workers Andreas Notter, a Swiss national and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba. Both Lacaba and Notter had been released separately last month.
Abu Pula, also a former Moro National Liberation Front rebel, is called "Dr. Abu" by some people because of his purported ability to perform crude treatments on wounded guerrillas and ailing villagers.
The Abu Sayyaf i listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
Philippine authorities said the Abu Sayyaf was behind the spate of bombings and kidnappings-for-ransom in the southern region. Most of the ransoms it gets are being used for the purchase weapons and to finance terrorism.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among those holding the aid workers - 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. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Two JI bombers captured in Sulu province
Sulu provincial police chief, Superintendent Muhibuddin Amil Ismail, points to suspected terrorists Sulayman Muin and Juhan Alimuddin, who were captured in the town of Patikul on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. The two were tagged as among those who bombed the convoy of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan on May 13 that left 10 people wounded. Tan escaped the assassination attempt. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Sulu Governor Dr Sakur Tan, Al Haj. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 27, 2009) – Police have captured two suspected terrorists implicated in the failed assassination of a Philippine governor, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials said the two men, Juhan Alimuddin and Sulayman Muin, were captured after a weeklong surveillance in Badjao village in the town of Patikul late Tuesday. Two other suspects managed to escape.
Alimuddin and Muin were tagged as among those who bombed May 13 the convoy of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan in Patikul town. Tan survived the assassination attempt, but a town mayor, Hatta Berto, of Pandami, and nine others were injured in the road bombing.
Tan just came from his office and on his way home when a motorcycle bomb exploded near his vehicle. The attack was condemned by many civil groups in Sulu.
Superintendent Muhibuddin Amil Ismail, the Sulu police chief, said a hand grenade, .45-caliber pistol and a .38-revolver were recovered from the Alimuddin and Muin, who are believed to be local members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.
“We have been operating the past days and it finally paid off with the capture of the two terror suspects. We are still tracking down the others involved in the attack against Governor Sakur Tan,” said Ismail, who led the operation in Patikul.
He said civilian informants provided intelligence and helped in the capture of the suspects. “Citizens are themselves providing us information about the terrorists and the operation in going on to get the other suspects,” Ismail told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the two suspects would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Manila.
The capture of the men came after PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa organized the Task Group Elected Government Officials.
Verzosa last week offered P500,000 bounty for the capture of those behind Tan’s failed assassination. It was unknown who ordered or masterminded the attack against Tan. (With a report from Nickee Butlangan)
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Italian aid worker held by Abu Sayyaf phones family
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 9, 2009) – An Italian aid worker being held by Filipino and Indonesian terrorists in the southern Philippine province of Sulu has phoned his family, but details of the conversation were not released, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
It said Eugenio Vagni called on Friday, a day after Abu Sayyaf terrorists ambushed and killed five policemen in Sulu’s Maimbung town. Among the killed was the provincial police chief, Julasirim Kasim.
“He was able to call his family on the morning of Friday. However, the entire situation is difficult for his loved ones, who of course remain very worried about him. We are keenly aware of the distress they are feeling,” said Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific.
“At the ICRC, we also remain very worried about Eugenio's safety and well-being. His captivity is an agony for him, for his family and friends, and for the entire ICRC. We earnestly hope that the abductors will release Eugenio safe and sound, and that they will do so immediately, without imposing any conditions,” he added.
Vagni was last reported to be ill and suffering from hernia and is being held by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists in Indanan town near Maimbung where Kasim’s group was pursuing them. His last phone call to his wife was on April 30.
Aeschlimann has repeatedly appealed for Vagni’s safe release and assured his family that the ICRC is closely working with Philippine authorities.
“We are doing everything we can. Many people are working behind the scenes to resolve the crisis, and we are grateful for their efforts. We are in constant contact with the authorities in the Philippines and Italy, who are monitoring developments closely.”
”We want Eugenio and his family to know that every possible step is being taken to bring about his release. We are not discussing these efforts in detail, however, as doing so could make it harder to achieve our aim,” he said.
Aeschlimann also denied Philippine media reports that the kidnappers have demanded ransom for Vagni’s freedom.
“Let me say once again that the ICRC has not received any demand for ransom since this crisis began. It is important to make it clear that the ICRC's policy is not to pay ransoms in the event that any of its staff are kidnapped. There are no exceptions under this policy. Let me also say very plainly that the ICRC is not offering to pay – and will not pay – for information on Eugenio.”
“We have repeatedly stated our position on these matters throughout the crisis. It is extremely upsetting that rumors of this kind nevertheless continue to circulate, as they could potentially jeopardize the ICRC's work in other conflict zones and sensitive areas around the world – not only in the Philippines,” he said.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan has ordered soldiers and policemen to rescue Vagni, the last of three international Red Cross workers seized January 15 in the town of Patikul where they inspected a humanitarian project at a prison facility.
The Abu Sayyaf had released Filipino aid worker Mary Jean Lacaba on April 2 and police forces rescued Swiss national Andreas Notter on April 18 in Sulu’s Indanan town.
American troops stationed in Sulu Island had been assisting the local military by providing intelligence about the Abu Sayyaf. Filipino authorities said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists, among them Mauiya and probably Dulmatin, Umar Patek and Zulkifli bin Hir, are believed to be with the militants holding Vagni. The US offered as much as $18 million bounties for their capture.
The Abu Sayyaf had previously threatened to behead the hostages if security do not pull out from Sulu and this prompted the governor to put the island under state of emergency and ordered a crackdown on suspected supporters of the militant group.
Authorities blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the spate of bomb attacks and kidnappings-for-ransom. In 2001, the group kidnapped three US citizens from a posh resort in Palawan province in central Philippines and brought them to Basilan Island, south of Zamboanga City where they beheaded one hostage. (Mindanao Examiner)
It said Eugenio Vagni called on Friday, a day after Abu Sayyaf terrorists ambushed and killed five policemen in Sulu’s Maimbung town. Among the killed was the provincial police chief, Julasirim Kasim.
“He was able to call his family on the morning of Friday. However, the entire situation is difficult for his loved ones, who of course remain very worried about him. We are keenly aware of the distress they are feeling,” said Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific.
“At the ICRC, we also remain very worried about Eugenio's safety and well-being. His captivity is an agony for him, for his family and friends, and for the entire ICRC. We earnestly hope that the abductors will release Eugenio safe and sound, and that they will do so immediately, without imposing any conditions,” he added.
Vagni was last reported to be ill and suffering from hernia and is being held by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists in Indanan town near Maimbung where Kasim’s group was pursuing them. His last phone call to his wife was on April 30.
Aeschlimann has repeatedly appealed for Vagni’s safe release and assured his family that the ICRC is closely working with Philippine authorities.
“We are doing everything we can. Many people are working behind the scenes to resolve the crisis, and we are grateful for their efforts. We are in constant contact with the authorities in the Philippines and Italy, who are monitoring developments closely.”
”We want Eugenio and his family to know that every possible step is being taken to bring about his release. We are not discussing these efforts in detail, however, as doing so could make it harder to achieve our aim,” he said.
Aeschlimann also denied Philippine media reports that the kidnappers have demanded ransom for Vagni’s freedom.
“Let me say once again that the ICRC has not received any demand for ransom since this crisis began. It is important to make it clear that the ICRC's policy is not to pay ransoms in the event that any of its staff are kidnapped. There are no exceptions under this policy. Let me also say very plainly that the ICRC is not offering to pay – and will not pay – for information on Eugenio.”
“We have repeatedly stated our position on these matters throughout the crisis. It is extremely upsetting that rumors of this kind nevertheless continue to circulate, as they could potentially jeopardize the ICRC's work in other conflict zones and sensitive areas around the world – not only in the Philippines,” he said.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan has ordered soldiers and policemen to rescue Vagni, the last of three international Red Cross workers seized January 15 in the town of Patikul where they inspected a humanitarian project at a prison facility.
The Abu Sayyaf had released Filipino aid worker Mary Jean Lacaba on April 2 and police forces rescued Swiss national Andreas Notter on April 18 in Sulu’s Indanan town.
American troops stationed in Sulu Island had been assisting the local military by providing intelligence about the Abu Sayyaf. Filipino authorities said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists, among them Mauiya and probably Dulmatin, Umar Patek and Zulkifli bin Hir, are believed to be with the militants holding Vagni. The US offered as much as $18 million bounties for their capture.
The Abu Sayyaf had previously threatened to behead the hostages if security do not pull out from Sulu and this prompted the governor to put the island under state of emergency and ordered a crackdown on suspected supporters of the militant group.
Authorities blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the spate of bomb attacks and kidnappings-for-ransom. In 2001, the group kidnapped three US citizens from a posh resort in Palawan province in central Philippines and brought them to Basilan Island, south of Zamboanga City where they beheaded one hostage. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Police tightens security in Philippine province after rescue of Red Cross hostage
SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 19, 2009) – Philippine authorities on Sunday tightened security around the town of Indanan in the southern Sulu province after the police rescue of a Swiss Red Cross hostage from the hands of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Police and armed village guards rescued Andreas Notter on Saturday morning after the Abu Sayyaf tried to slip from a cordon. Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni is still being held by the Abu Sayyaf and security officials said the captive is ill and suffering from hernia.
Bad weather and continuous rains are taking its toll on security forces guarding the cordon in Indanan town, but soldiers and policemen, including armed villagers continue to guard the town to prevent the kidnappers from escaping.
“We are more alert now after the failed escape of the Abu Sayyaf and the rescue of Notter. We have tightened the security cordon in Indanan and civilian volunteers are helping us guards the area to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from escaping with their hostage,” said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief.
Notter said he and Vagni were separated by the Abu Sayyaf on Friday for a still unknown reason. Police intelligence reports also said that Vagni is alive, according to Kasim.
Notter and Vagni were kidnapped along with another Red Cross worker, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba on January 15 after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town. The woman was freed on April 2 amidst allegations that a huge ransom was paid to the Abu Sayyaf.
More policemen were sent to Sulu recently to augment thousands of soldiers and local police force to help secure the area where the hostages are being held.
The Abu Sayyaf has repeatedly threatened to kill the remaining hostages if the military and police do not pull out from several areas in Sulu.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped the aid workers - 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. The United States has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The terrorists, in many occasions, had negotiated directly with the hostages’ families and the International Committee of the Red Cross and probably foreign governments for the safe release of their captives.
But it was unknown whether ransoms were paid to the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiya either in Indonesia or Malaysia or even in the Philippines in exchange for the release of the aid workers.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan had repeatedly warned private negotiators against paying ransoms to the Abu Sayyaf, saying, the money would only finance terrorism and more kidnappings in the southern Philippines.
In 2001, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 mostly Western holidaymakers and Asian resort workers in a daring cross-border raid in Malaysia’s Sipadan Island and collected millions of dollars in ransoms from Libya which helped negotiate for the release of the hostages.
The group also kidnapped wealthy traders and civilians and ransomed them off and those who refused to pay are beheaded.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose name means “bearer of the sword” in Arabic, split from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization that boasts of ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, as well as the Indonesian network of Jemaah Islamiya.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to the southern Philippines the past years where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police and armed village guards rescued Andreas Notter on Saturday morning after the Abu Sayyaf tried to slip from a cordon. Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni is still being held by the Abu Sayyaf and security officials said the captive is ill and suffering from hernia.
Bad weather and continuous rains are taking its toll on security forces guarding the cordon in Indanan town, but soldiers and policemen, including armed villagers continue to guard the town to prevent the kidnappers from escaping.
“We are more alert now after the failed escape of the Abu Sayyaf and the rescue of Notter. We have tightened the security cordon in Indanan and civilian volunteers are helping us guards the area to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from escaping with their hostage,” said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief.
Notter said he and Vagni were separated by the Abu Sayyaf on Friday for a still unknown reason. Police intelligence reports also said that Vagni is alive, according to Kasim.
Notter and Vagni were kidnapped along with another Red Cross worker, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba on January 15 after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town. The woman was freed on April 2 amidst allegations that a huge ransom was paid to the Abu Sayyaf.
More policemen were sent to Sulu recently to augment thousands of soldiers and local police force to help secure the area where the hostages are being held.
The Abu Sayyaf has repeatedly threatened to kill the remaining hostages if the military and police do not pull out from several areas in Sulu.
Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are among the Abu Sayyaf that kidnapped the aid workers - 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. The United States has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture.
The terrorists, in many occasions, had negotiated directly with the hostages’ families and the International Committee of the Red Cross and probably foreign governments for the safe release of their captives.
But it was unknown whether ransoms were paid to the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiya either in Indonesia or Malaysia or even in the Philippines in exchange for the release of the aid workers.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan had repeatedly warned private negotiators against paying ransoms to the Abu Sayyaf, saying, the money would only finance terrorism and more kidnappings in the southern Philippines.
In 2001, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 mostly Western holidaymakers and Asian resort workers in a daring cross-border raid in Malaysia’s Sipadan Island and collected millions of dollars in ransoms from Libya which helped negotiate for the release of the hostages.
The group also kidnapped wealthy traders and civilians and ransomed them off and those who refused to pay are beheaded.
The Abu Sayyaf, whose name means “bearer of the sword” in Arabic, split from the larger Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization that boasts of ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, as well as the Indonesian network of Jemaah Islamiya.
Philippine authorities said the Jemaah Islamiya terrorists fled to the southern Philippines the past years where they sought refuge under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf and rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Jemaah Islamiya calls shots in Sulu hostage crisis
An undated photo of Jemaah Islamiya terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir and the Jemaah Islamiya from the website of the US Counterterrorism Center. Abu Sayyaf terrorists holding three Red Cross workers in Sulu province display the JI flag in a video grab from the website of the Philippines' largest television network, ABS-CBN.SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) - The Jemaah Islamiya (JI) is believed to be calling the shots in the Sulu hostage crisis, according to Philippine intelligence reports.
And among the JI militants said to be playing a major role in the crisis is Zulkifli bin Hir, an engineer trained in the United States. He is believed to be the head of the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and a member of JI's central command.
According to the US National Counterterrorism Center, since August 2003, Zulkifli has been present in the Philippines, where he is believed to have conducted bomb making training for the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in Sulu province.
The Abu Sayyaf group is holding hostage three Red Cross workers - Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba since January 15 after being kidnapped in Patikul town where they inspected a humanitarian project.
Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, head of the government task force working for the safe release of the aid workers, said that his deputy, Nuranna Sahidullah, reported that she saw an Indian-looking man when she went to see the hostages in the hinterlands of Indanan town several weeks ago. Sahidullah acted as the government's emissary to the Abu Sayyaf.
Filipino Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno, quoting intelligence reports, claimed that a Singaporean JI militant was among the group holding the three hostages. Puno did not identify the foreigner, but it was believed to be Muawiyah, an Indian-Singaporean Muslim who also uses the alias Manobo.
The local military also reported that Zulkifli and probably Dulmatin and Umar Patek are being coddled by the Abu Sayyaf under Yasir Igasan who is believed to be the same Abu Alih, one of the captors of the Red Cross workers.
The Philippines' largest television network, ABS-CBN, broadcast a video of the hostages and their captors who displayed the flag of the JI. It said the video was taken March 27. The same flag is also in the JI profile on the website of the US National Counterterrorism Center.
The Rewards for Justice Program of the US Department of State is offering up to $5 million for information leading directly to the apprehension and / or conviction of Zulkifli.
The JI is an Indonesia-based Islamic extremist group with cells operating throughout Southeast Asia. The group’s stated goal is to create an Islamic state—or caliphate—that would encompass Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, US authorities said.
It added that the JI has been responsible for several major, lethal bombings against Western targets in Indonesia, including the attack on a nightclub in Bali in 2002 in which 202 people were killed; the car bombing of the Jakarta Marriott hotel in 2003; the truck bombing of the Australian Embassy in 2004; and the October 2005 bombings of tourist sites in Bali that killed 23 and injured over 100.
JI spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir was released from prison in June 2006. However, authorities detained operations chief Hambali in August 2003, killed chief bombmaker Azahari in November 2005, and, in June 2007, arrested acting JI Emir Zarkasih and the group’s military commander Abu Dujanah. Police continue to hunt other senior JI leaders and operatives—including Noordin Mohammed Top—who are at large in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the US National Counterterrorism Center said.
It said that in 2008, two JI operatives, Agus Purwantoro and Abu Husna, were captured in Malaysia and transferred to Indonesian police custody. In April 2008, an Indonesian court sentenced two of JI’s senior leaders, Abu Dujana and Zarkasih, to 15 years in prison and labeled JI a terrorist group. In July, Indonesian police seized explosives and arrested 10 members of a JI cell in south Sumatra, including one Singaporan JI member, disrupting operational plans to attack specific Christian and Western targets. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sayyaf terrorists hold on to Red Cross hostages in the Philippines
Security forces and armed village guards pull out Sunday, March 29, 2009 from Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holding hostage three Red Cross workers to allow peaceful negotiations for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 29, 2009) – Philippine authorities on Sunday were awaiting release of one of three Red Cross workers being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf after troops pulled out from a terrorist stronghold in the southern province of Sulu.
The Abu Sayyaf has twice threatened to behead one hostage by Tuesday if security forces do not move away from its jungle lair in Indanan town.
The group, notorious for killing and kidnapping foreigners for ransom, is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba after seizing them on January 15 in Patikul town where they inspected a water and sanitation project at a prison facility.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the military and police to remove their forces around Indanan town to open negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf and save the hostages.
The terrorists previously promised to free one captive after troops pulled out from Indanan, but reneged on its commitment and demanded that armed village guards also move away from near their stronghold.
Wire reports on Sunday said the Abu Sayyaf terrorists were now demanding a bigger military withdrawal with solders staying inside their barracks in Jolo town on the other side of Indanan.
It quoted Sulu Governor Sakur Tan as saying that Parad phoned him to demand for a total military pull out. Tan previously said that any pull out by troops in Indanan town could give the Abu Sayyaf an opportunity to escape with their hostages and consolidate forces and kidnap more civilians, virtually putting at risk many people in the province.
Soldiers were demoralized by orders for them to pull out in Indanan town because three had already died and 23 other wounded in fierce fighting last week after Parad’s group tried to break through from the military cordon.
The military and police said among those holding the aid workers were members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, possibly Dulmatin, Marwan and Umar Patek, all wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly foreigners. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Abu Sayyaf has twice threatened to behead one hostage by Tuesday if security forces do not move away from its jungle lair in Indanan town.
The group, notorious for killing and kidnapping foreigners for ransom, is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba after seizing them on January 15 in Patikul town where they inspected a water and sanitation project at a prison facility.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno ordered the military and police to remove their forces around Indanan town to open negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf and save the hostages.
The terrorists previously promised to free one captive after troops pulled out from Indanan, but reneged on its commitment and demanded that armed village guards also move away from near their stronghold.
Wire reports on Sunday said the Abu Sayyaf terrorists were now demanding a bigger military withdrawal with solders staying inside their barracks in Jolo town on the other side of Indanan.
It quoted Sulu Governor Sakur Tan as saying that Parad phoned him to demand for a total military pull out. Tan previously said that any pull out by troops in Indanan town could give the Abu Sayyaf an opportunity to escape with their hostages and consolidate forces and kidnap more civilians, virtually putting at risk many people in the province.
Soldiers were demoralized by orders for them to pull out in Indanan town because three had already died and 23 other wounded in fierce fighting last week after Parad’s group tried to break through from the military cordon.
The military and police said among those holding the aid workers were members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, possibly Dulmatin, Marwan and Umar Patek, all wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly foreigners. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sayyaf threatens anew to behead Red Cross hostages in the Philippines
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 25, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists have threatened to beheaded anew one of their three Red Cross hostages if security forces do not pull out near their jungle stronghold in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, police said on Wednesday.
The Abu Sayyaf is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in the hinterlands of Indanan town where soldiers, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.
“We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. We are trying to verify these reports,” Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of this month for the government to pull out security forces.
The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead one hostage after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. One of its leaders, Albader Parad, was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they decapitate one hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.
Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces overseeing the operations in Sulu, said security forces will continue to maintain its presence in Indanan town and is closely working with Kasim and Sakur Tan, the provincial governor, who heads the government task force in-charge of securing the safe release of the hostages.
“We will maintain our presence in Indanan town,” he said, adding, any withdrawal of troops could pave the way for terrorists to escape and consolidate their forces.
Tan also rejected Abu Sayyaf demands for a military pull out. “That is tantamount to surrendering the whole town to terrorists. I will not allow that to happen,” he said.
Hundreds of villagers have armed themselves and were helping the police and military secure the town and prevent the terrorists from breaking out of the military cordon.
Military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.
Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.
Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.
The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Abu Sayyaf is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in the hinterlands of Indanan town where soldiers, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.
“We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. We are trying to verify these reports,” Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of this month for the government to pull out security forces.
The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead one hostage after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. One of its leaders, Albader Parad, was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they decapitate one hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.
Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces overseeing the operations in Sulu, said security forces will continue to maintain its presence in Indanan town and is closely working with Kasim and Sakur Tan, the provincial governor, who heads the government task force in-charge of securing the safe release of the hostages.
“We will maintain our presence in Indanan town,” he said, adding, any withdrawal of troops could pave the way for terrorists to escape and consolidate their forces.
Tan also rejected Abu Sayyaf demands for a military pull out. “That is tantamount to surrendering the whole town to terrorists. I will not allow that to happen,” he said.
Hundreds of villagers have armed themselves and were helping the police and military secure the town and prevent the terrorists from breaking out of the military cordon.
Military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.
Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.
Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.
The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Troops clash with NPA, JI in southern Philippines
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 8, 2009) – Government troops clashed separately before sunrise Sunday with communist rebels and local Jemaah Islamiya members in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said troops and government militiamen clashed with New People’s Army rebels at around 4.30 a.m. on a village in Davao Oriental’s Banganga town. One militia and an undetermined number of rebels were killed in the fighting, said Lt. Col. Roland Bautista, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
“One militia was killed and an undetermined number of rebels were believed slain and wounded in the clash,” he said, adding, troops recovered an M16 rifle, radio transceivers and combat packs from the fighting.
Bautista said another group of army soldiers also clashed with Jemaah Islamiya militants at around 4.40 a.m. in the village of Napnapan in Pantukan town in Compostela Valley province and capturing a Filipino bomb expert, Giovanni de Ocampo.
He said the captive admitted during interrogation that he is a member of the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya and is also an alleged commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“Initial report revealed that he is a trainer and an expert in manufacturing of improvised explosives which has caused the death of many innocent civilians and destruction of properties in this part of Mindanao,” Bautista said without further elaborating, saying, security forces were still hunting down other Jemaah Islamiya militants in the province.
There were no reports of military casualties in both clashes.
The MILF has denied the military report and disowned De Ocampo. “We have repeatedly denounced terrorism and the MILF has nothing to do with the Jemaah Islamiya,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.
The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past decades for independence in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
2 Filipinos charged with aiding top terrorists
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine troops have captured two local militants accused of helping top al-Qaida-linked foreign terrorists gain a foothold in Muslim rebel strongholds in the country's volatile south and plan deadly bomb attacks, officials said Thursday.
The Associated Press also reported that authorities say Omar Venancio helped a member of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah buy explosives intended for a suicide bombing at a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Davao city and other attacks in nearby beach resorts, said Eduardo Ermita, who heads the government's Anti-Terrorism Council.
Army troops and intelligence agents separately arrested Mokasid Dilna, who allegedly headed the Al-Khobar group blamed for bombing passenger buses and business establishments since 2007 for rejecting his extortion demands, Ermita said.
The arrests were significant because they could sever some of the crucial links between foreign terrorists and at least two local Muslim groups, the violent Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which could provide sanctuary and training grounds in southern Mindanao region.
"It's very significant," Ermita said, "the U.S. counterparts were very happy.
Venancio and Dilna, their arms cuffed and restrained by military escorts, looked confused when paraded by anti-terrorism officials during a news conference in Manila. Both had earplugs on, apparently to prevent them from reacting to journalists' questions.
Venancio, a Moro Islamic Liberation Front member, was arrested last month in southern Cotabato City with receipts for the explosives. He described the plans for a suicide bombing in Davao and other attacks during interrogation, Ermita said. None of the attacks took place.
He was described in an anti-terrorism council statement as Jemaah Islamiyah militants' most trusted local since 2005 in Mindanao, the southern region where a Muslim separatist rebellion has raged for decades Venancio allegedly helped move funds for top Jemaah Islamiyah figure Umar Patek and also acquire guns and explosives for the Indonesian group's militants hiding with Abu Sayyaf on Jolo Island, Ermita said.
Patek, an Indonesian, is wanted along with another Indonesian named Dulmatin in the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people in Southeast Asia's worst terrorist attack.
The pair allegedly fled to Mindanao in 2003. They have reportedly provided bomb-making and religious training to the Abu Sayyaf, which has been included in a U.S. terrorist blacklist for its links to al-Qaida and involvement in several bombings, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings.
Dilna, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Badrin, was trained in explosives and unspecified types of weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan at about the same time as Patek in the early 1990s.
When he returned home, he passed on the skills to Filipino and foreign militants, Ermita said.
He has also given refuge to Dulmatin, Patek and other Jemaah Islamiyah militants, he said. (AP)
The Associated Press also reported that authorities say Omar Venancio helped a member of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah buy explosives intended for a suicide bombing at a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Davao city and other attacks in nearby beach resorts, said Eduardo Ermita, who heads the government's Anti-Terrorism Council.
Army troops and intelligence agents separately arrested Mokasid Dilna, who allegedly headed the Al-Khobar group blamed for bombing passenger buses and business establishments since 2007 for rejecting his extortion demands, Ermita said.
The arrests were significant because they could sever some of the crucial links between foreign terrorists and at least two local Muslim groups, the violent Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which could provide sanctuary and training grounds in southern Mindanao region.
"It's very significant," Ermita said, "the U.S. counterparts were very happy.
Venancio and Dilna, their arms cuffed and restrained by military escorts, looked confused when paraded by anti-terrorism officials during a news conference in Manila. Both had earplugs on, apparently to prevent them from reacting to journalists' questions.
Venancio, a Moro Islamic Liberation Front member, was arrested last month in southern Cotabato City with receipts for the explosives. He described the plans for a suicide bombing in Davao and other attacks during interrogation, Ermita said. None of the attacks took place.
He was described in an anti-terrorism council statement as Jemaah Islamiyah militants' most trusted local since 2005 in Mindanao, the southern region where a Muslim separatist rebellion has raged for decades Venancio allegedly helped move funds for top Jemaah Islamiyah figure Umar Patek and also acquire guns and explosives for the Indonesian group's militants hiding with Abu Sayyaf on Jolo Island, Ermita said.
Patek, an Indonesian, is wanted along with another Indonesian named Dulmatin in the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people in Southeast Asia's worst terrorist attack.
The pair allegedly fled to Mindanao in 2003. They have reportedly provided bomb-making and religious training to the Abu Sayyaf, which has been included in a U.S. terrorist blacklist for its links to al-Qaida and involvement in several bombings, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings.
Dilna, who uses the nom de guerre Abu Badrin, was trained in explosives and unspecified types of weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan at about the same time as Patek in the early 1990s.
When he returned home, he passed on the skills to Filipino and foreign militants, Ermita said.
He has also given refuge to Dulmatin, Patek and other Jemaah Islamiyah militants, he said. (AP)
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