A former mayor in Basilan province said fugitive bomb expert Basit Usman may be hiding in Basilan amid the military operation against his group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in central
Former Ungkaya
Pukan Mayor Joel Maturan said he was able to talk to one of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) commanders in Basilan, who claimed to have seen the
group of Usman in one of the remote barangays in the municipality of Tuburan
Maturan said the
MILF commander also saw four foreign nationals with Usman who are believed to
be bomb experts connected to the Jemaah Islamiyah.
The group of
Usman supposedly fled to Basilan a few days after government forces declared an
all-out offensive in the wake of the Mamasapano incident, where 44 Special
Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed.
Maturan said
Usman has supporters and sympathizers in Basilan, particularly members of Abu
Sayyaf, and some MILF men.
He alleged the
one who is coddling Usman in Basilan is a former MILF member and is now linked
to the Abu Sayyaf.
He said Usman
stayed in Basilan for a few years before he went to central Mindanao .
He said the wanted terrorist first preached radical Islam in Basilan and tried
to lure some of the young Muslim residents in the area.
Usman is
allegedly behind some of the deadliest attacks in Mindanao ,
killing a number of innocent civilians.
Usman has been
included in the US Rewards for Justice program, with a $1 million bounty for
his head.
The commander of
Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (Zambasulta) Joint Task Force, Rear
Admiral Reynaldo Yoma, said they are verifying the information.
On Sunday,
government forces encountered a group of armed men at the municipality of Tuburan
Mohammad Ajul
The armed group
planted a bomb along the road, hitting government forces.
Some of the men
of Mohammad Ajul Mayor Talib Pawaki were reportedly wounded and brought to the
nearest hospital.
Basilan
provincial police director, Senior Superintendent Mario Buyuccan, said they
cannot confirm yet the alleged presence of Usman in their jurisdiction.
Buyuccan said
they are utilizing their assets on the ground to gather information.
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