Basit Usman hiding in Basilan?

From ABS-CBN (Mar 13): Basit Usman hiding in Basilan?

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 Mindanao.

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 in Basilan, which was led by an unidentified foreign national.

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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