Philippine troops
killed 26 Abu Sayyaf gunmen and possibly a Malaysian terrorist in a weeklong
counterterrorism offensive in Mindanao that
ended Sunday with the capture of a major jungle training camp where bombs and
bomb-making components were found, an Army commander said.
Three soldiers
were killed in the assaults that involved about 600 Army, Marines, Navy and Air
Force personnel against the brutal group in the jungles near Al-Barka town in
Basilan province, Army Colonel Rolando Joselito Bautista said.
The military has
received intelligence reports that the Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf faction led by
Isnilon Hapilon and Puruji Indama was planning with a number of Malaysian
terrorists to organize a new insurgent group that would be supportive of
Islamic State extremists in Syria
and Iraq
Concerns grew
over reports that the Abu Sayyaf gunmen have been carrying out bomb-making
training and manufacturing bombs in the encampment with the help of Malaysian
terrorists, prompting the military to launch an offensive, he said.
"We've been
receiving reports of the presence in this camp of foreign terrorists and
high-value targets," Bautista said by telephone.
Among the
terrorists who were reported killed in the military assaults was a Malaysian
who was identified only by his nom de guerre, Abu Anas. The military is trying
to confirm his death, Bautista said.
While government
forces were inspecting the captured Abu Sayyaf camp, one of five bombs placed
around the area exploded at dawn Sunday, wounding 12 soldiers, Bautista said.
Troops found bomb-making components in other parts of the encampment, he added.
The encampment
had bunkers and could shelter more than 200 terrorists, regional military
spokesman Major Filemon Tan said.
Isnilon is among
a few Muslim bandit commanders in Mindanao who
have made a public oath of loyalty to IS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Philippine
security officials, however, said they have found no evidence of an active
collaboration between Filipino bandits and the Islamic State group.
Three bombs
placed by Abu Sayyaf gunmen, meanwhile, successively exploded
Sunday near an abandoned military detachment on Jolo island near Basilan but
failed to cause any injuries, Army Brigadier General Alan Arrojado said.
The Abu Sayyafs
apparently targeted a military convoy but its passage in the area was delayed,
Arrojado said.
The United States and the Philippines
US-backed
Philippine military offensives have weakened the Abu Sayyaf, but it has
survived and remains a security threat. It's one of at least four small
insurgent groups in Mindanao outside of a
peace deal the government signed last year with the largest rebel group, the
11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2015/12/20/military-26-terrorists-killed-offensive-448013
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.