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Friday, April 23, 2004
Sayyaf leader Janjalani back in Basilan: military
By Jun Feliciano
ZAMBOANGA -- The military in Basilan province is on heightened alert following intelligence reports that Abu Sayyaf founder Khaddafy Janjalani is back in his lair to consolidate the remaining force and recruit the 20 escapees of the recent Basilan jailbreak.
Southern Command spokesman Lt. Col. Renoir Pascua, said troops in Basilan under the 103rd Army Brigade commander Col. Rey Ferrer are under orders by Southcom chief Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko to validate the report about Janjalani's resurgence.
"We received a report about his presence in Basilan. We have operatives going around to confirm this report," Pascua revealed.
Janjalani, according to report, has been sighted recently in the outskirts of Palembang town, Sultan Kudarat, in Central Mindanao.
His return to Lantawan, Basilan is reportedly to reconsolidate his force and recruit additional men.
The remaining 20 escapees are believed to be hiding in the forested complex of Lantawan, the lair of the Abu Sayyaf group. Seven of them are suspected Abu Sayyaf members accused in a series of recent kidnappings in Basilan.
The group staged a mass jailbreak last April 10, along with 33 others, from Basilan provincial jail in Sumagdang, Isabela City.
Eleven of the 33 rearrested prisoners were killed for reportedly resisting arrest by pursuing troops.
The names of the seven Abu Sayyaf suspects still on the loose were released by the Southern Command Thursday as follows: Mubin Ibah alias Abu Black; Toting Hanno, Abu Jar, Jaid Awalal, Anik Abbas, George Ramirez and Totoh Kaya alias Anu Karam.
Their 13 escapee-companions are all charged for other heinous crimes like murder and illegal drugs.
A military source revealed that Janjalani and his group, which transferred last year to Central Mindanao--where they helped in hiding Indonesian terrorist Fatur Roman Al Gozi--have decided to return to Basilan to recruit the remaining escapees from pursuing forces.
Ferrer, the over-all military commander in Basilan, said they have deployed their forces in the vicinity of Lantawan to re-capture the remaining fugitives.
He expressed confidence that the troops will get them soon as they are all holed out in their suspected hide-out in Lantawan and will not be able to escape from the area.
Janjalani's bounty for his capture, dead or alive, has increased to P10 million. The military earlier had expressed optimism that the number one Abu Sayyaf terrorist in the country will fall "very soon into their hands."
(April 23, 2004 issue)
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