|
Sunday, April 11, 2004
8 killed, 3 guards hurt in Basilan jail break
By Cheng Ordonez
ZAMBOANGA -- Seven prisoners died while three jail guards of the Basilan Provincial Jail were hurt when at least 53 prisoners, mostly Abu Sayyaf members, bolted out of jail Saturday morning, a top police official said.
Basilan police chief Ben Sali Jabarani said 10 of the 53 escapees were also recaptured in a police manhunt launched immediately after the escape.
The provincial jail is located in Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province.
Basilan governor Wahab Akbar said that among those who escaped were Abu Sayyaf leaders, Abu Black, Abu Burhan and Abdulaziz Naya, who have been involved in numerous abductions over the years.
Jabarani said the 53 inmates escaped after overpowering the jail guards on duty. Prisoners grabbed the firearm of one of the jail guards serving them meals. They used the firearm in getting out jail.
One of the guards died while undergoing medical treatment at the hospital, while three others were wounded.
A firefight ensued between responding policemen and the escapees. In the firefight seven of the escapees died.
Ten others were recaptured during hot pursuit operation in Barangay Sumagdang and Kumalarang, the police said.
Some of the escapees, according to Jabarani were convicted for murder, all the others were Abu Sayyaf members charged with murder, kidnapping, and serious illegal detention.
Jabarani declined to release the identities of the escapees, who are the subject of a manhunt operation, saying he and his men are still in the field for the operation.
Jabarani said a full-scale investigation is underway to determine how the prisoners managed to escape easily.
The Abu Sayyaf escapees were among those arrested during a massive crackdown in 2000. They were awaiting resolution of their cases.
Checkpoints
Police and military forces have been deployed to track down the remaining prisoners and have set up checkpoints on the island of Basilan to keep them from fleeing.
But officials expressed concern that many would get away if they are not found before sundown.
"If it becomes dark, it will be really tough," said local army commander Colonel Raymundo Ferrer, adding that if they reached the coastal areas and seized a boat, it would be difficult to locate them.
Soldiers with assault rifles and numerous military vehicles were deployed in key areas of the island which has long been a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf, an extremist Islamic kidnap-for-ransom group that has also bombed Christian and foreign targets for over a decade.
The jailbreak came despite tightened security in the south imposed after the killing of Sali on Thursday.
Washington and Manila have linked the Abu Sayyaf to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Two days
The jailbreak came two days after Abu Sayyaf commander Hamsiraji Sali, his brother Tajil, and four other followers died in an encounter with the Army's Scout Rangers in Basilan on Thursday.
Jabarani however, ruled out speculations that Abu Sayyaf sympathizers were behind the plan escape to avenge the death of Sali and his group.
On Friday, at least 12 Scout Rangers were honored the gold cross medal for neutralizing Sali, who has a five million reward on his head,
Two other soldiers, who died at Camp Navarro Hospital in Zamboanga City while undergoing medical treatment, were given posthumous awards.Sun.Star Zamboanga
(April 11, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
