ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 5, 2010) – Police captured a member of the Philippines Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in an operation mounted on Tuesday in Basilan, one of five provinces in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.
Police said Bidung Esmail was nabbed in Lamitan City shortly before noontime.
It said the terrorist was involved in a raid in Lamitan in 2001 where the Abu Sayyaf seized dozens of civilians and used them as shield against pursuing troops.
Police did not give details about Esmail and it was unknown if his group was planning an attack.
The man, whom police said is wanted for a string of attacks in Basilan, is being interrogated.
The Abu Sayyaf which means “bearer of the sword” has been blamed for the string of terror attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Sayyaf terror man captured in Basilan province
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sayyaf strikes in Basilan, seized canteen manager
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 15, 2010) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants seized a school canteen manager in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, police said on Monday.
It said the woman, Examinda Lindio, was abducted over the weekend in Lamitan City and that her captors contacted the family and asking an unspecified amount of ransom.
“We have formed a task force that will handle this case,” said Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Mendoza said the woman was reported missing on Saturday until the kidnappers contacted her family to say that she is being held hostage. It was unknown how much the kidnappers were demanding, but police said the gang is led by Pulah Montong.
Police and military previously warned that the Abu Sayyaf may strike at any opportune time. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many kidnappings and terrorism in the southern Philippines.
Just last week, troops captured an Abu Sayyaf base and killed at least 6 militants in an ensuing firefight in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Bomb explodes near Basilan mayor's house
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 19, 2010) - An improvised explosive was detonated late Tuesday near the house of a local mayor in Basilan province in the southern Philippines, reports said.
Reports said the bomb went off several meters from the house of Lamitan City mayor Roderick Furigay. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the blast, but Basilan is hotbed of Abu Sayyaf terrorism.
It was unknown if the Abu Sayyaf, tagged by the military and police in previous bombings, was involved in the latest attack. But police said three days before the blast, the Abu Sayyaf headed by Furiji Indama, threatened to detonate bombs and stage kidnappings-for-ransom in Lamitan.
Security officials did not say what kind of explosive was used in the attack or whether the mayor was the target of the bombing. The attack occurred on the eve of the mayor's annual state of the city address.
"Bomb experts are still trying to determine the kind of explosive used in the attack," said Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, the provincial police chief. "We have stepped security in Lamitan and other parts of the province; there are more checkpoints and roadblocks and added foot patrol, especially at night."
He said villagers saw two men on a motorcycle fleeing the area before the blast. "We have witnesses who saw two young men on a motorcycle fleeing before the explosion," he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Security forces were fighting Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan, whose group authorities said is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
2 Philippine military choppers hit by enemy fire in Basilan province
A military photo shows a pilot inspecting one of two Philippine Air Force UH-1H choppers hit by enemy fire on Sunday, August 16, 2009 while flying over the southern province of Basilan, scene of a recent fighting that killed 43 soldiers and Abu Sayyaf militants. (Mindanao Examiner)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 16, 2009) – Two Philippine military helicopters came under fire Sunday and were forced to land on a remote village in the southern province of Basilan, officials said.
Officials said two television cameramen for the state-run NBN Television who were filming with senior military commanders were hurt in the landing near Lamitan City.
There were no reports of serious injuries, but the choppers were hit by bullets believed fired from automatic rifles.
“The choppers, both UH1H, were flying over Lamitan when it came under fire. We still don’t know who were behind the attack – it could be the Abu Sayyaf or Moro rebels,” said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.
Cacho did not say how many passengers were in the aircrafts, but among them were a marine general and his aides.
She said the choppers were heading to the Kurelem, scene of a recent fighting between government troops and Abu Sayyaf militants in the town of Ungkaya Pukan. The fighting on Wednesday killed at least 43 soldiers and militants.
No individual of group claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred at around 11.30 a.m. near the village of Tumasib. Military operations against the Abu Sayyaf still continue in Basilan, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Boy abducted in Basilan province
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 28, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen abducted a five-year old boy in Basilan province in the southern Philippines, security officials said on Tuesday.
Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho said the abductors seized Joven Aries dela Cruz at around 7 p.m. in front of their house in the
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction, but previous kidnappings in the troubled province were largely blamed to Abu Sayyaf militants whose group has links with the Indonesian terrorist Jemaah Islamiya.
Early this month, security forces rescued two abducted fishermen after a firefight with suspected Moro rebels in Basilan, just several nautical south of
The two - Ronnie Nabi and Renante Saquien – were rescued in Akbar town after policemen, backed by soldiers stormed the
The fishermen were abducted off Basilan in March after gunmen attacked their trawler and killed three of its crew.
In January, Abu Sayyaf gunmen also intercepted a small boat carrying state teachers off
More than two dozen civilians, including a Sri Lankan peace worker, were kidnapped for ransom and eventually freed in Basilan since early this year. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Moro rebels execute one of two hostages in southern Philippines
Police said villagers found the body of Cosme Aballes, 54, in the hinterlands near Lamitan City on Friday. Local television reports said Aballes head was almost decapitated.
The fate of another hostage, Hernald Chavez, 22, remains unknown, said Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, the provincial police chief.
“There is an ongoing operation and troops are pursuing the lawless elements,” he said, referring to the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front tagged by the police and military as behind the April 10 abductions.
Police said the rebels raided a farm and killed one worker in the remote village of Upper Arco in Lamitan City. The motive of the attack was unknown and the MILF said it would verify the reports.
Macapantar said about 40 gunmen were involved in the raid and he tagged Abu Sayyaf commander Puruji Indama and Inting Ramos and MILF leader Usman Lidjal as among those who led the attack.
Sporadic clashes, he said, were also reported over the weekend between troops and rebels, but it was not immediately known whether there were casualties on the rebel side. (Mindanao Examiner)