Cops on full alert in Mindanao

MANILA -- Police forces in Western Mindanao were placed on full alert Sunday, following the death of three Abu Sayyaf bandits in a clash with police commandos in Sulu province late Saturday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Verzosa ordered the full alert status Sunday as the PNP is bracing for possible retaliatory attacks over the death of a brother of a notorious Abu Sayyaf leader.

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Gafur Jumdail, younger brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbahali Jumdail, alias Dr. Abu, and two of his men were killed late Saturday near Maimbung town on Jolo island after clashing with commandos tracking a Malaysian militant and allied Filipino fighters, Jolo police chief Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac said.

The death of Jumdail, who had been accused of several high-profile abductions, including the January 2009 kidnappings of three Red Cross workers from Switzerland, Italy and the Philippines, is the latest blow to the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.

Chief Superintendent Angelo Sumlao, directorate for Integrated Police Operations for Mindanao, advised those who are planning to travel to Mindanao to refrain from doing so unless the full alert status is lifted.

He said they are following Verzosa's order to protect the civilians in the region.

Sunglao said the full alert status might stay longer, but there is no need for reinforcement as of now.

In Saturday's clash, commandos assaulted a house in a remote village in an attempt to arrest Jumdail, his elder brother, who is also an Abu Sayyaf commander, and Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian militant wanted by Washington for alleged terrorist involvement, according to a police report.

As they raided the house, about 20 other Abu Sayyaf bandits armed with rifles and grenade launchers opened fire nearby, sparking a 15-minute gunbattle. When the bandits withdrew, police found the bodies of Gafur Jumdail and two other militants in the house, the report said.

Recovered from the scene were an M-14 rifle, an M-16 rifle and a baby armalite with cache ammunitions and documents.

Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization and deployed hundreds of troops in the country's south to train and arm Filipino soldiers battling the bandits.

The extremist group, which has about 400 gunmen in Jolo and outlying islands, has been blamed for the country's worst bomb attacks, kidnapping sprees and for beheading some of its hostages, including an American tourist, who was decapitated in 2001.

Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, is a US-trained engineer accused by Philippine authorities of involvement in a number of deadly bombings in the country. The US has offered a $5 million reward for his capture.

Marwan is believed to have been hiding with the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao for years. It was not immediately clear if Marwan was with Jumdail during Saturday's assault, police said.

The US State Department said Marwan is believed to be a leader of the militant organization Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia and a member of the central command of Jemaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda affiliate blamed for numerous regional attacks, including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings in Indonesia. (AP/VR/Sunnex)