Screengrab of a video clip purportedly showing Abdul Basit Usman
The military revealed Friday that, while the entire nation was focusing on Congressional inquiries in aid of legislation to ferret out the truth behind the January 25 massacre of 44 commandos of the Philippine National Police's (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) unabated "target-hardening" through intelligence operations proceeded in the continuing effort to locate and arrest terrorist Abdul Basit Usman and his followers.
The SAF commandos perished at the hands of combined elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that the military believes Usman and his men are still in Maguindanao Province.
"The AFP is relentlessly pursuing Basit Usman and his cohorts," Cabunoc said.
Earlier, Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu said he has "information" that Usman, who was allegedly "seriously wounded", and his men could still be in Mamasapano.
"He is reported to have suffered a wound in the shoulder. He remains in the place," Mangudadatu said.
He added Usman was being carried by his men as they moved about to avoid detection.
The governor appealed to all his constituents to inform him or any other authorities if they come across credible information about the exact location of Usman and his men.
Usman is a Filipino trained by the foreign terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in bomb-making and bombing missions.
Cabunoc, however, declined to give any details of how intelligence operatives were gathering data in pursuit of Usman.
"We're asking the help of everyone, including the MILF, in identifying his present hideout," Cabunoc said.
During Thursday's hearing at the Senate, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal stated publicly the MILF will help the government find and arrest Usman, in the same vein denying allegations that the MILF is harboring terrorists.
Iqbal's pronouncement came after some members of the committee, led by Senator Grace Poe, challenged the MILF to show its sincerity in the peace process and prove to the Filipino people they are not a terrorist organization.
Both the military and police have hinted that terrorists such as Usman were "peacefully co-existing" with the MILF and the BIFF.
On Jan. 25, Usman was able to elude a surgical operation to arrest him and Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir, alias Marwan, who is alleged to have died in the SAF operation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has yet to declare a definitive laboratory result from its initial DNA test on tissue specimens claimed to have been taken from the terrorist, who is supposed to have been buried at a still-undetermined location.
The reported death of Marwan came at great cost, as 44 commandos of the 55th Special Action Company (SAC) died in the operation.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/105015/afp-target-hardening-is-intensified-to-get-basit-usman-minions
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