BASILAN - The Armed Forces of the
The bomb
components include metal pipes, LPG tanks, battery, electrical wires,
cellphones and other materials.
There were also
some empty boxes of hand-held radios and battery chargers.
Lieutenant
General Rustico Guerero, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said the bomb
components were recovered in the house of Abbas Alam, one of the ASG sub-leaders
in Basilan.
Alam is a native
of Mohammad Ajul and has been living in Barangay Tuburan Proper in the last few
years with some relatives.
He was previously
arrested for murder and frustrated murder in relation to the ASG's activities,
but his cases were dismissed.
After this, Alam
went back to Basilan and became an ally of Malaysian Bomb expert Moho Najib bin
Husen, who is also linked to Jemaah Islamiyah.
Husen is believed
to have conducted training on bomb making in Mohammad Ajul. His students were
ASG members.
He has extensive
knowledge on how to make improvised explosive devices using available resources
in their area.
But the military
said there were no new designs of bombs recovered in Mohammad Ajul.
Guerrero said the
bombs assembled and being produced in the house of Alam are intended to create
chaos in Basilan, Zamboanga City and other provinces near the Zamboanga Peninsula
"We consider
this as a significant recovery of AFP, as well as in coordination with the
police, na-neutralize ang factory nila and then we always make sure that this
will not be replicated in other areas." Guerrero said.
Before the
discovery of the so-called bomb factory of the ASG, the rebels attacked the
municipal police station of Mohammad Ajul. They planted a bomb in the police
station and even raised their Shahada flag, which is similar to the flag of the
terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The military
acted as reinforcements to the policemen and civilian volunteers, prompting the
ASG to leave Barangay Tuburan Proper.
The commander of
Joint Task Group Basilan, Colonel Rolly Bautista, said they considered the
presence of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Mohammad Ajul
before proceeding with their operation.
He said they had
to avoid passing by some MILF communities and opted to use their water assets
to get to Barangay Tuburan Proper.
Bautista also
coordinated with top MILF officials to make sure that there will be no
mis-encounter between government troops and the MILF.
"Ang
dynamics kasi dito, ang vicinity nito ay surrounded by MILF communities, so
apparently we cannot just move to the area, so we have to coordinate with the
different commanders. The dynamics of the MILF forces, some are controlled by
their commanders, but some particularly those younger members do not obey
orders from their superiors."
The MILF inked a
peace deal with the Philippine government in a bid to create a new Bangsamoro
government and bring peace and development to the region.
Mohammad Ajul
Mayor Talib Pawaki also questioned why the MILF members are not helping the
government forces in the operation against the ASG.
He said there are
some MILF members who have been helping the ASG.
The chief of
police of Mohammad Ajul municipal police station, Senior Inspector Faizal
Tandico, said three barangays were directly affected by the armed conflict in
the area.
These are
barangays Tuburan Proper, Basakan and Languyan. Most of the residents in these
barangays have fled to safer places.
More than 700
families have been displaced in the conflict and are now staying with their
relatives living in nearby municipalities in Basilan.
The military said
it is not yet safe for residents to go back to their homes, as the operation
against the ASG is still ongoing.
Next week, the
Municipal Peace and Order Council will meet to discuss how to restore peace and
order in the affected barangays of Mohammad Ajul.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/16/15/afp-recovers-bomb-components-asg-leaders-house
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