Wounded Usman hiding in Maguindanao – Gov. Mangudadatu

From the Manila Bulletin (Feb 12): Wounded Usman hiding in Maguindanao – Gov. Mangudadatu

Filipino terrorist Abdul Basit Usman is wounded and hiding in the hinterlands of Maguindanao, according to Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu.

“Nandiyan lang yan,” Mangudadatu told reporters during the ongoing celebration of the 4th Sagayan Festival that formally opened Monday and winds up on Saturday in Buluan town.

Usman reportedly got a bullet in the arm during the encounter with Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in the operation in Barangay Pidsandawan, Mamasapano town last January 25 that killed wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb maker Zulkifli Bin Hir alias “Marwan”.

The SAF commandos were serving a warrant of arrest on Marwan and Usman when Marwan shot it out with police troops. Usman, however, managed to escape to another marshy area in Mamasapano under cover of darkness.

Mangudadatu said he received information from villagers that Usman is hiding in the hinterlands of Maguindanao.

The governor called on the rural officials and villagers to “help save the Mindanao peace process” by informing authorities of any high-profile criminals and suspected terrorists in their midst.

“Huwag po kayo matakot na isumbong sa mga autoridad ang pananatili ng sino mang kadudaduda sa mga lugar niyo. Handa ang kapulisan at militar na protectahan kayo (Don’t be afraid to tell authorities about the presence of suspicious individuals in your area. The police and the military are ready to protect you),” Mangudadatu said.

“IBS,” “TENG”

Sources claimed to have known Marwan and Usman only as “Ibs” and “Teng” before the police raid. Mangudadatu said civilian residents or even members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should help quell the entry to Maguindanao of high-profile criminals because “we cannot afford a repeat of the bloody encounter in Mamasapano.”

The clash martyred 44 SAF commandos and wounded 14 others.

The MILF claim 18 rebels and five children died in the clash with scores wounded.
But SAF troopers who survived the carnage claim to have killed no less than 200 rebels during the daylong firefight.

Mangudadatu said Maguindanao has yet to “fully overcome the adversities of the massacre of 52 people in Ampatuan town on Nov. 23, 2009” when the Mamasapano clash erupted.

The governor who lost his wife and relatives in the 2009 incident confirmed that foreign investors are eyeing  additional P14.5-billion investments on infrastructures and agro-industries, but security concerns could derail the projects.

http://www.mb.com.ph/wounded-usman-hiding-in-maguindanao-gov-mangudadatu/