Philippine troops raid JI hideout in Sulu province

Police patrols Sulu province in the southern Philippines in this photo taken early in March. Seven Filipino militants are killed in a military raid on a hideout of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya on Sunday, March 7, 2010 on Laminusa Island, off Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo).

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 7, 2010) - Seven Filipino militants were killed in raid Sunday by Philippine soldiers on hideout of Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya on an island off the southern province of Sulu, officials told the Mindanao Examiner.

Officials said one soldier was also wounded after local Abu Sayyaf militants opened fire on the raiders before sunrise in Laminusa Island.

“We have killed seven militants and recovered more than a dozen automatic weapons. One of my soldiers is injured in the raid when militants opened fire on security forces which triggered the firefight,” said Marine Brigadier General Rustico Guerrero, commander of military forces in Sulu province.

He said the target of the raid was a Malaysian terror man called Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan and Abu Sayyaf sub-leader whose alias is Boy Tondo and was involved in the 2000 cross-border raid in Malaysia’s Sipadan resort island where 21 mostly European holidaymakers were kidnapped.

“Marwan was not in the area, but only his cells who were all Abu Sayyaf members,” Guerrero said, adding, the operation to track down the terrorists is still going on.

The United States has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir, believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli bin Hir allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's central command and is believed to be hiding in Sulu.

Authorities said Zulkifli bin Hir has been training Abu Sayyaf militants in bomb-making.

Last month, police captured a senior Abu Sayyaf member Mujibar Amon in Sulu’s Indanan town after villagers secretly tipped off authorities about his presence.

Amon is one the country’s most wanted terrorists who was involved in last year’s kidnappings of three Red Cross workers and many more, including the cross-border raid in Malaysia’s Sipadan island report where 21 mostly European and Asian holidaymakers were abducted and brought to Sulu in 2000.
He was tagged as among those who also kidnapped US tourist Jeffrey Shilling in 2000 in Sulu.

Authorities are also tracking down other Jemaah Islamiya members who are believed hiding in Sulu and among them are Dulmatin, Umar Patek and Mauiya – all wanted for the Bali bombings in 2002 that killed over 200 people, mostly Australian holidaymakers. (Mindanao Examiner)

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)

Filipino troops continue operations Vs. Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 11, 2009) – Filipino troops continue to surround a hinterland village in the southern island of Sulu where three Red Cross workers are being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists.

The hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba – were seized January 15 after inspecting water and sanitation projects at a prison in Patikul town. A dismissed jail guard, Raden Abu, kidnapped the trio and handed them over days later to the Abu Sayyaf headed by Albader Parad and Dr Abu Pula, whose real name is Umbra Jumdail.

Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, of the Jemaah Islamiya, is also believed to be with the Abu Sayyaf group and probably several more, according to Army Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Armed Forces' Civil Relations Service. He said troops have sealed off the area where the terrorists are holding the hostages.

On Monday, troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf wounding 11 eleven marines in a failed attempt to spring the aid workers. The fighting forced the terrorists to flee deeper into the jungle with their captives.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said security forces continue operations in Indanan town. "Our operations are continuing and we will not cease until the hostages are released unharmed," he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The fighting on Monday had the International Committee of the Red Cross worried over the safety of the captives.

Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, has appealed anew to the kidnappers to free all three aid workers.

"The ICRC is renewing its appeal to the kidnappers and to all those involved in dealing with this crisis to refrain from any action which could jeopardize the safety of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas."

"This is a very delicate situation, which must be handled with caution in order to avoid compromising in any way the safety of our colleagues, and in order to secure their rapid and unconditional release," he said.

The Abu Sayyaf, listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, has reportedly demanded as much as $10-million ransoms in exchange for the freedom of the captives.
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. (Mindanao Examiner)

10 wounded in Abu Sayyaf mortar attack in Sulu

Photo taken by a civilian Alzulfikar Amilhamja from his mobile phone shows the damage to this house after a mortar bomb fired by Abu Sayyaf militants exploded on the village of Busbus in Jolo town in Sulu province late Monday, February 09, 2009. Ten Muslim occupants of this house are wounded in the blast, says Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief. (Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 10, 2009) – Ten people were wounded in a mortar attack by Abu Sayyaf militants in the capital town of Jolo in the southern Philippine of Sulu, police said.

Police said the attack late Monday coincided with the rescue operation mounted by government soldiers to spring three Red Cross workers Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf on January 15.

“Ten innocent people, all Muslims, were wounded in the attack. The mortar hit a house and wounding all occupants, including teenagers,” Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Kasim said the mortar hit the house in the coastal village of Busbus and other reports said two more rounds fired by the Abu Sayyaf fell in the sea.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan condemned the attack on civilians and ordered security forces to secure all vital government installations in the province. “We condemn this attack on civilian targets. Innocent civilians are not spared by this lawless group,” he said.

Security forces pursuing the kidnappers have occupied the hinterland village of Kuppong in Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf had kept their hostages, police said.

But there were no traces of the aid workers or any of their captives after troops assaulted their lair on Monday afternoon, sparking a firefight that left 11 marines wounded.

“Troops are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf,” Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, chief of the Armed Forces’ Civil Relations Service, said in a separate interview.

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, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines Steps Up Hunt For Jemaah Islamiya Bombers In South

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Aug) – Philippine troops have intensified the search for a senior Jemaah Islamiya militant hiding in the southern region of Mindanao, a Filipino army commander said Tuesday.

Amy Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, said soldiers were hunting down Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, believed hiding in central Mindanao.

“We are tracking him down in central Mindanao. Zulkifli is on top of our terror list and we are gathering intelligence about this terrorist and whoever is coddling him,” Ferrer told the Mindanao Examiner.

Security forces have captured Zulkifli’s Filipino associate Kaharudin Usman also known as Kasalud, on Friday in Manila after a foiling a plot to bomb shopping malls in the capital.

Filipino police director Roberto Rosales said the man is an operative of the Jemaah Islamiya and was behind a spate of bombings in Mindanao. Usman was captured after a brief chase inside the SM shopping mall in Taguig City.

Usman said they were also planning to bomb food terminals in Manila. Policemen and soldiers also seized a homemade bomb assembled from a 60mm mortar and C-4 explosives from Usman’s hideout in Taguig City.

Usman is believed to be working directly with Zulkifli and Abdulbassit Usman, a Filipino terrorist with links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front based in central Mindanao, Rosales said.

Zulkifli is said to be recruiting Filipinos in Mindanao and train them to become bombers, according to Ferrer.

“We have intelligence reports that Zulkifli is recruiting and training locals to become terrorists,” he said.

He said the MILF, which has denied any links with the Jemaah Islamiya, is helping the military track down Zulkifli and other terrorists in Mindanao. The MILF, the largest Muslim rebel group, is currently negotiating peace with the government.

Aside from Zulkifli, Philippine authorities are also pursuing Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both tagged by Jakarta as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly Western holidaymakers.

In March, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli, who was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli, who allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization, has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice Program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

The U.S. State Department said Zulkifli has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia. (Juan Magtanggol)

Abu Spy Gets P1 Million Bounty!

Western Mindanao Army chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo hands over Friday 30 Mar 2007 one million pesos reward money to a masked Abu Sayyaf informant who helped the Philippine military capture a sub-leader of the militant group, Abdullah Mohammad, in November 2005 in Zamboanga City, as Army Col. Pedro Ancanan looks on. Mohammad is implicated in the kidnapping of US missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and California tourist Guillermo Sobero in a posh island resort in Central Philippines. Martin and Guillermo were later killed by the Abu Sayyaf group tied to Al-Qaeda terror network. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 Mar) – The Philippine military on Friday rewarded an informant with one million pesos for helping security forces capture a notorious Abu Sayyaf sub-leader implicated in the kidnapping of three American citizens seven years ago.

“More and more people are providing us vital information about the terrorists. And those who are helping us will be rewarded accordingly,” Lieutenant General Eugenio Cedo, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The masked informant did not speak to journalist and was whisked away by intelligence agents escorting him at the military base in Zamboanga City after receiving the money.

The United States also rewarded $2,500 to the same informant last month for the capture of Mohammad, who is included in Washington’s terror lists.

Cedo said the Philippine government provided the money as reward for the capture of Abdullah Mohammad, who was tracked down by troops in the village of Ayala in Zamboanga City.

The military implicated Mohammad in the 2000 kidnapping of Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and California man Guillermo Sobero and 17 other Filipino holiday-makers at the posh Dos Palmas resort in the central Philippine province of Palawan.

He was also linked to the kidnappings of dozens of people in Basilan island off Zamboanga in 2000, where 11 hostages had been beheaded.

Washington listed the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist group and offered as much as $5 million bounty for the capture of its known leader.

The Abu Sayyaf is said to be coddling Indonesian and Malaysian Jemaah Islamiya bombers in the southern Philippines.

Just this week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, a terrorist believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli bin Hir has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice Program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.Zulkifli bin Hir is a Malaysian citizen born in 1966 in Muar, Johor.

An engineer trained in the United States, he allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's central command.

The U.S. State Department said he has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Puspusang Paghahanap Sa Malaysian Bomber Inilunsad!

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner/ 29 Mar) – Ipinagutos ngayon ng Armed Forces ang puspusang paghahanap sa isang Malaysian bomber na umano’y nagtatago sa Mindanao matapos na ibunyag ng Estados Unidos ang kinalalagyan nito.

Halos apat na taon na umanong nagtatago sa Mindanao si Zulkfili bin Hir alias Marwan at kamakalawa lamang ay inilagay ng ito ng EU sa kanilang talaan ng most wanted terrorist.

Pinatungan pa ng EU ng $5 milyon bounty ang ulo ni Zulkifli upang mapadali ang pagdakip sa dayuhan na sinasabing kasama ng Abu Sayyaf sa kasalukuyan at isa sa mga nagtuturo kung paanong gumawa ng pampasabog.

“We are now intensifying our intelligence operation to get Marwan. Aside from Marwan, we are also tracking down other terrorists and that include the Jemaah Islamiya and Abu Sayyaf,” ani kanina sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner ni Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander ng 6th Infantry Division sa Central Mindanao, na kung saan inulat na nagtatago si Zulkifli bin Hir.

Hindi naman mabatid kung may kinalaman ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), ang pinakamalaking Muslim rebel group sa bansa, kay Zulkifli bin Hir. May peace talks ang MILF sa pamahalaang Arroyo at sa kasalukuyan ay tumutulong sa pagtugis sa mga terorista sa Mindanao dahil sa isang kasunduang nilagdaan ng dalawang grupo ilang taon na ang nakalipas.

Subali’t may mga lider ang MILF na ayon sa military ay mga “hard core” na siyang nagkukubli sa Jemaah Islamiya at Abu Sayyaf bombers na responsable sa maraming atake sa Mindanao.

Sinabi rin ng U.S. State Department na mismong si Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ang siyang nag-authorized ng naturang bounty sa ulo ni Zulkifli.

Idinagdag na ng US si Zulkifli sa most-wanted list ng Rewards for Justice program.

"Zulkifli bin Hir is a Malaysian citizen born in 1966 in Muar, Johor. An engineer trained in the United States, he allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's central command. He has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf Group."

"His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, a.k.a. Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia,” ayon sa U.S. State Department. (May ulat si Mark Navales)

Malaysian Bomber Nagtatago Sa Mindanao!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Mar) - Nagtatago umano sa Central Mindanao kasama ang Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) ang isang terorista buhat sa Malaysia.

Inihayag ni Major General Ben Mohammad Dolorfino na namataan si Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan sa Maguindanao bagamat patuloy ang paggalaw ng mga ito sa lugar upang hindi masukol ng mga awtoridad.

"He (Marwan) is still in Central Mindanao along with Abu Sayyaf militants. But they are always mobile," ani Dolorfino sa Mindanao Examiner.

Gayunman, nilinaw ni Dolorfino na hindi ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) ang nagkakanlong sa naturang terorista o sa ASG.

"I don't think he is being protected by MILF rebels. If we will link him with the MILF, it will disrupt the ongoing peace process," dagdag ng heneral.

May patong na pabuyang $5 milyon ang Estados Unidos sa kung sino man ang makapagbibigay ng impormasyon para sa pagdakip kay Zulkifli.

Si Zulkifli ay isang inhinyero na nagsanay sa Washington at umano'y pinamumunuan ang Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia terrorist organization at miyembro ng Jemaah Islamiyah.

Ayon kay Dolorfino, noon pang Agosto 2003 nakapasok ng Mindanao ang naturang foreign terrorists at sinasabing nagsasagawa ng pagsasanay sa mga bandido.

Sinabi rin ng U.S. State Department na mismong si Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ang siyang nag-authorized ng naturang bounty sa ulo ni Zulkifli.

Idinagdag na ng US si Zulkifli sa most-wanted list ng Rewards for Justice program.

"Zulkifli bin Hir is a Malaysian citizen born in 1966 in Muar, Johor. An engineer trained in the United States, he allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah's central command."

"He has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf Group."

"His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, a.k.a. Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia,” ayon sa U.S. State Department. (Ulat nina Juley Reyes mula Maynila at Mark Navales sa Mindanao)