ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / October 6, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf militants attacked government troops, killing a marine and wounding another in fierce clashes in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner, on Tuesday.
Officials said the soldiers were to provide security for a group of military engineers repairing a bridge bombed by Moro rebels when gunmen attacked them at around 2.15 p.m. Monday in the village of Bato-Bato in Indanan town.
“They were going to clear the way and provide security for engineers who wanted to repair the Talatak bridge, but apparently, the enemy did not want the people to benefit from the bridge, hence, they prevented our engineers from repairing it,” said Marine Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.
Hontiveros blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the attack.
The bridge, linking Indanan to another town, was first blasted on September 29 and then rebels again bombed it on October 1 to prevent military vehicles from crossing into the town.
It was unknown what prompted the military to send army engineers in the area despite the pockets of fighting in the town, which is a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf and Moro National Liberation Front rebels who are fighting for independence.
Suspected Moro rebels also attacked a marine post on Monday in the village of Bitan-ag in Panamao town, according to a regional military commander, Major General Benjamin Dolorfino.
He said rebels fired mortar bombs into the post of the 311th Marine Company, but there have been no reports of casualties.
A rebel leader, Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the shadowy group called Bangsamoro National Liberation Army, said the fighting erupted after military forces shelled the stronghold of the Moro National Liberation Front.
Sali warned of more bloodshed and renewed threats to bomb military and civilian targets in the country in retaliation to government offensive in Sulu, one of five provinces in the troubled Muslim autonomous region.
The MNLF under Nur Misuari signed a peace accord with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled with the deal and accused the government of failing to uplift their living standards or to bring developments in Muslim areas in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Marine killed in Sayyaf attack in South RP
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Labanan sa Sulu, humupa na!
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / September 27, 2009) – Pansamantalang natigil ang labanan sa pagitan ng militar at Abu Sayyaf sa lalawigan ng Sulu na kung saan ay 8 sundalo ang nasawi sa matinding sagupaan.
Bagamat natigil ang kaguluhan ay patuloy naman diumano ang intelligence operations ng militar sa tulong na rin ng mga sundalong Kano na naka-deploy sa Sulu mula pa nuong 2006. Tumutulong ang mga Kano sa paghahanap sa Abu Sayyaf.
“Our operation is going on,” ani Major Ramon David Hontiveros, spokesman ng Western Mindanao Command. Hindi naman ito nagbigay ng detalye ukol sa operasyon ng militar.
Huling inulat ng Western Mindanao Command na 34 mga Abu Sayyaf ang nasawi sa labanan nuong nakaraang linggo, ngunit dalawang bangkay lamang ang nabawi ng mga tropa ng Marines.
Nabatid na lumaki lamang ang bilang ng mga nasawing terorista dahil sa mga intelligence reports na nasagap ng militar, ngunit wala naman itong basehan.
Pormal naman na itinalaga ng militar si Brigadier General Rustico Guererro bilang bagong hepe ng Task Force Comet sa Sulu na dating pinamumunuan ni Brigadier General Eugenio Clemen. Nagpalit lamang ng puwesto sina Guererro at Clemen na parehong nalagasan ng maraming mga sundalo sa mga nakalipas na labanan. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Rebels attack marines post in Southern Philippines
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 26, 2009) – Gunmen attacked a marine detachment in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, officials said on Saturday.
Officials said the marines repulsed the attack which occurred late Friday in the village of Bato-Bato in Indanan town, scene of last week’s fierce clashes that left 34 militants and eight soldiers dead.
“Our marines repulsed the attack. No casualties were reported on either side,” said Marine Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Hontiveros did not say who were behind the attack, but the town is a stronghold of Moro National Liberation Front rebels who aided Abu Sayyaf forces in last week’s clashes.
The MNLF accused the military of targeting them in the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town.
It said security forces shelled their camp on September 20, although there were no reports of casualties. The military attack coincided with the Eid festival which signals the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
A Moro rebel leader, Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said the military offensive targeted a stronghold of Khaid Ajibun, a senior leader of the MNLF in Camp Marang near the village of Talibang.
“The Muslims are celebrating the Hari Raya, but what greeted us are bombings from military aircrafts,” he said.
Sali accused the military of terrorizing the Muslims in Sulu, an accusation strongly denied by the armed forces.
“The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army declares publicly and calls and manifests our Islamic solidarity behind our brothers-in-Islam and to support the declaration of Jihad against the Philippine Government and Armed Forces of the Philippines for the restoration of sovereign states of the Bangsamoro Homeland. There are no terrorists in our homeland, but we are being terrorized by Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled by the agreement and accusing the government of failing to honor the provisions of the accord.
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 its members have either joined the Abu Sayyaf or Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past three decades for self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Filipino, US troops honor slain marines in Zamboanga City
Philippine marines in Zamboanga City carry Wednesday, September 23, 2009 the coffin of one of eight soldiers killed in a clash with Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photos)The caskets of seven of eight soldiers killed in Tuesday fighting were paraded in military camps in Zamboanga City, where Filipino and American troops paid their last respects.
A group of US soldiers were spotted saluting with Filipino troops as hearse of the soldiers arrived at the Western Mindanao Command. The caskets were later brought to a chapel inside a Filipino naval base where a chaplain said a requiem.
Soldiers also paid their last respect for their fallen companions. “This is reality here. We have to risk our lives to save others. We are soldiers,” one marine said.
Marine spokesman Major Ramon David Hontiveros said operations to capture Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants continued on Wednesday in Sulu province.
US Special Forces were aiding the Philippine military in the hunt for militants, according to Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command.
He said the US military is providing intelligence to the local troops in the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in Sulu.
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 followers.
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.
Dolorfino 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 was an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Ustadz Muktar, a cousin of Hapilon, who is wanted by the US for terrorism.
US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu province since 2006 and assisting the local military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sayyaf ambushed troops in Sulu
Policemen patrol the sea off Jolo town in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where 8 marines are killed in an Abu Sayyaf ambush Monday, September 21, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)The fighting also killed three militants in the village of Bato-Bato in Indanan town, said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command.
Hontiveros did not say how many soldiers died in the attack, but independent sources said at least 8 marines were killed when Abu Sayyaf militants opened fire on them. Nine other soldiers were injured in the ambush.
“We are getting conflicting reports as to the number of military casualties,” Hontiveros said.
The military earlier said fighting subsided in the province after Sunday clashes in Indanan killed an Abu Sayyaf militant and wounded four government soldiers.
Hontiveros 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 by Indonesia 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. (With a report from Nickee Butlangan)
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)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Military offensive disrupts Muslim festival in Southern Philippines
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chieftain Murad Ebrahim leads the breaking of fast on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the southern Philippines. In Sulu province, the military launched offensive against Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels, disrupting the celebration of the Hari Raya, which signals the end of the holy month of Ramadan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)The attack, which occurred shortly before 7 a.m. in the town of Indanan coincided with the start of Hari Raya festival which signals the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Several Muslims said the sounds of explosions from the shelling had disrupted solemn prayers in mosques. Angry Muslims cursed the military for disrespecting their tradition.
The Malay words ‘Hari Raya' translate as 'Day of Celebration' or the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast'. Muslims usually attend Eid prayers in mosque in the morning. The celebrations begin with the birth of the new moon of Syawal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar.
The military said the offensive was aimed at capturing wanted persons. “There are some identified suspects who have standing warrants. I regret I can’t discuss operational details yet,” Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in the shelling.
Police said it received unconfirmed reports the military operation was directed at Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad in the mountain village of Talibang.
But a Moro rebel leader, Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said the military offensive targeted a stronghold of Khaid Ajibun, a senior leader of the Moro National Liberation Front in Camp Marang near the village of Talibang.
“The Muslims are celebrating the Hari Raya, but what greeted us are bombings from military aircrafts,” he said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
Sali accused the military of terrorizing the Muslims in Sulu, an accusation strongly denied by the armed forces.
“The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army declares publicly and calls and manifest our Islamic solidarity behind our brothers-in-Islam and to support the declaration of Jihad against the Philippine Government and Armed Forces of the Philippines for the restoration of sovereign states of the Bangsamoro Homeland. There are no terrorists in our homeland, but we are being terrorized by Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled by the agreement and accusing the government of failing to honor the provisions of the accord.
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.
It was unknown who ordered the offensive or what triggered the shelling, but Hontiveros said: “The suspects might be mustering a lot of conventional resistance necessitating the use of indirect fire weapons. We sincerely hope that these people who are suspected of complicity in crimes will peacefully submit to the courts where they can defend their name.”
Hontiveros said the offensive was part of a surgical operation against terrorists who were blamed for the spate of bombings in Sulu, but cut short of tagging the Abu Sayyaf in the attacks.
“It’s our common fight against the evils of society. This is surgical operation directed against terrorists who are destroying the image of Islam. They bombed and disturbed us twice during Ramadan. They hurt two Muslim soldiers going to mosque to pray. We are doing this for the good of peace and law-abiding Muslims. The disturbance and inconvenience now may make our Ramadan peaceful in the future,” Hontiveros said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, September 18, 2009
Another Sayyaf terrorist arrested in Zamboanga City
Officials said soldiers and policemen arrested Suhudi Ocenyo Jawani alias Abu Masib and Ibno Madja in the village of Mampang.
“He is facing four counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention,” said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
No other details were made available about Jawani except that he was arrested on Wednesday by a joint team of military and police.
A local radio network, dzRZ-Radyo Agong which quoted unnamed police sources reported that Jawani was also implicated in past bombings in Zamboanga City.
Last week, security forces also arrested an Abu Sayyaf militant, Almujahid Susukan, on charges of kidnappings.
Susukan, a sub-leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, is the brother of militant leaders Jawawi and Mujiv Susukan, who were both killed in separate military operations in Sulu province the past years.
Susukan was implicated in the kidnappings of 21 Asian and European holidaymakers from the Malaysian island-resort of Sipadan in 2000. Susukan was a former fighter of the Moro National Liberation Front who joined the army, but later deserted his unit and joined the Abu Sayyaf.
He was previously arrested by the military in Sulu province, however, it was unclear whether Susukan had been freed or escaped or working with the armed forces as a spy.
Many of arrested Abu Sayyaf had been used by the military as a spy, often working for bounties offered by the Philippine and US governments for the capture of known militant leaders in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Troops attack MILF camp in Zamboanga province
2 killed, 15 wounded in South RP grenade blast
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 17, 2009) – Two villagers were killed and more than a dozen injured in a grenade attack in the southern Filipino province of Sulu, the military said on Thursday.
It said the explosion occurred shortly before midnight Wednesday at a carnival on a village called Tubig Puti in the town of Luuk.
“Two civilians were killed and 15 are wounded in the explosion. They were hit by shrapnel,” said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command.
He said authorities are still investigating the motive of the attack. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group is actively operating in the area. Clan war is also common in Sulu.
On Monday night, an explosion also rocked the port of Jolo in the province where US troops, escorted by a small team of Filipino soldiers, were unloading cargoes from a boat.
The soldiers, who panicked by the explosion, indiscriminately fired their weapons, hitting a mosque and several small buildings at the port.
US and Filipino troops involved in the shooting ignored investigations by the police and port authorities. The US troops previously closed down a hospital in the province on suspicion wounded rebels were being treated there.
American Special Forces are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and have been assisting the local military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sayyaf militant arrested in Zamboanga City
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 16, 2009) – Security forces have arrested an Abu Sayyaf militant in the southern Philippines port city of Zamboanga, officials said on Wednesday.
Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, said a joint team of soldiers and policemen arrested Almujahid Susukan on charges of kidnappings.
“An AFP-PNP (Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police) team recently arrested Almujahid Susukan in Zamboanga City by virtue of warrants of arrest for 21 counts of kidnappings and serious illegal detention,” Hontiveros said.
He did not say when the arrest took place or give details of the operation in Zamboanga City, but the ABS-CBN television reported that Susukan was nabbed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at the local port on September 9.
It said Susukan, a sub-leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, is the brother of Jawawi and Mujiv Susukan, both militants who were killed in separate military offensive in Sulu province the past years.
Susukan was implicated in the kidnappings of 21 Asian and European holidaymakers from the Malaysian island-resort of Sipadan in 2000.
The report said Susukan was a former Moro rebel who later joined the army, but later deserted his unit and joined the Abu Sayyaf. He was previously arrested by the military in Sulu province, however, it was unclear whether Susukan had been freed or escaped or working with the armed forces as a spy.
Many of arrested Abu Sayyaf had been used by the military as a spy, often working for bounties offered by the Philippine and US governments for the capture of known militant leaders in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
US troops escape blast in Jolo
Undated photos show US troops in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. A blast hit a wharf in the capital town of Jolo where US troops are unloading equipment from a boat on Monday, September 14, 2009. (Midnanao Examiner Photo)Officials said the blast occurred late Monday, but there were no reports of casualties.
“There is an ongoing investigation into the blast. Soldiers found no shrapnel in the area and we still don’t know who was behind it,” said Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.
He said the explosion occurred near a military detachment adjacent a building where stalls are selling small electronic appliances and textiles. Hontiveros said a pillbox was probably used in the attack since no fragments of explosive were found in the area.
The military earlier said a grenade exploded in the wharf where the American troops were unloading cargoes from their boat.
Locals also reported they heard a burst of automatic gunfire following the explosion. Other reports said soldiers indiscriminately fired their weapons, hitting a nearby mosque and small buildings, but this was denied by Hontiveros.
“That’s not true,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police has begun an investigation into the explosion. “We have dispatched a team to investigate the blast,” Inspector Usman Pingay, the town’s police chief, told by phone from Jolo.
Pingay said the wharf was tightly secured by local soldiers and policemen at the time of the blast.
Dozens of US troops are deployed in Jolo the past years and have been assisting local military in defeating Abu Sayyaf terrorism. They have put up a base inside a military headquarters, but it is off-limits to Filipino soldiers.
American soldiers are also helping in various humanitarian projects aimed at winning hearts and minds and get the support of the local Muslims. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Troops recover IED in Jolo town
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 31, 2009) – Government soldiers have recovered an improvised explosive in the southern Philippine town of Jolo, where a homemade bomb exploded and wounded two army engineers over the weekend, officials told the Mindanao Examiner on Monday.
Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, said the improvised explosive device was found near the Jolo airport an hour after a bomb went off at around 7 p.m. on Sunday.
“The bomb was detonated safely,” he said.
Hontiveros said the military is still investigating the type of explosive used in the attack and the second that was recovered. “We are still determining what type of explosive was used in the attack,” he said.
Hontiveros said a marine convoy passing near the area was likely the target of the explosion.
“Initial investigation revealed that the target of the attack was the convoy of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 6 which had just left Kampo Heneral Teofilo Bautista en route to Mount Datu. The IED exploded 75 meters in front of the lead vehicle of convoy,” he said.
No individuals or group has claimed responsibility for the failed attack, but Marine Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, a regional military commander, blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the explosion in Jolo.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed by the police and military for the spate of kidnappings for ransom and terrorism in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)