Thursday, May 7, 2015

After Usman, MILF now targets foreign bomb-makers Muawiyah, Baco

From the Philippine News Agency (May 7): After Usman, MILF now targets foreign bomb-makers Muawiyah, Baco

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) elite unit who killed foreign-trained bomber Abdul Basit Usman are now hunting down two other foreign bombers hiding in Maguindanao with the slain Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir alias "Marwan."

The two foreign bomb making experts, Malaysian Amin Baco and Muawiyah, a Singaporean, escaped Barangay Tukanalipao after the Police Special Action Force commandos raided on January 25 their hideout in Mamasapano town. Marwan was killed in that incident.

Usman, a Maguindanao, was killed past 11:00 a.m. Sunday near Barangay Muti in Guindulungan town, Maguindanao while trying to evade pursuing government forces.

MILF forces under Commander Wahid Tundok of 118th base command went to the village where usman and his 12 armed followers were waiting for the start of boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather on radio.

Mayor Antao Midtimbang of Guindulungan told reporters he was told that the MILF elite unit has been searching for Maco and Muawiyah.

Tundok said the search for the two foreign bombers was in keeping with their ceasefire accord with government.

Under the ceasefire agreement, both the government security forces and MILF will work side by side in the interdiction of criminals and terrorists.

Tundok said more and more civilians have offered to assist the MILF in locating the foreign terrorists because they were the main cause of civilians' dislocation in Datu Piang, Datu Saudi, Salibo, Mamasapano, Guindulungan and Talayan, all in Maguindanao.

Speaking in Filipino, Tundok said even MILF forces had to be moved out along with their families in compliance with the ceasefire accord to allow military action against Usman and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

"We will operate against these foreign bombers so we will no longer be relocated when the Army hunt them," an MILF sub-commander said.

The Army offensive against the BIFF, which is believed to be coddling foreign bombers, had displaced 120,000 civilians, mostly relatives and friends of the MILF.

"Our fighters are tired of moving from one place to another because of these foreign bombers, so we will get them ourselves," the commander said.

"Its not about the reward money, all we want is peace in our communities," he said.

About 900 MILF fighters have been relocated since Feb. 27 when the military launched manhunt against the terrorists and the BIFF.

Muawiyah, whose real name Abdullah Ali, is affiliated with the Jemaah Islamiyah, a group where Marwan also belonged and a ranking official, according to Army and police intelligence community.

The military tagged these terrorists as the ones who provided training to lawless elements in Maguindanao in bomb making and other terror attacks.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=759694

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