Monday, August 15, 2005
2 soldiers killed in military offensive to get Abu Sayyaf leader (7:40 p.m.)
MANILA -- Troops clashed with Muslim militants allegedly led by Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani in a jungle gunbattle that killed at least two soldiers, military officials said Monday.
The weekslong, US-backed offensive in southern Maguindanao province and outlying regions is aimed at capturing Janjalani and other top Abu Sayyaf commanders, along with allied Indonesian militants, who reportedly have sought refuge in the mountainous area.
Army Major General Agustin Demaala said troops caught up with Janjalani's group, composed of up to 40 fighters, in the hinterlands near Guindolongan town, touching off a firefight Sunday afternoon that lasted into the night.
At least two soldiers were killed and an undetermined number of guerrillas were killed or wounded, but most others apparently managed to escape, Demaala said.
He acknowledged that rough terrain has made it difficult to get Janjalani and his commanders, who are among the country's most wanted outlaws and are on a US list of wanted terrorists.
"Even if you put 10 battalions there, you cannot cover the entire area because it's thickly forested and hilly," Demaala told reporters. "We are not setting a timetable because they are very evasive. The operation is continuing, we are hunting them down."
The military deployed hundreds of soldiers, including a 120-strong US-trained elite army company, starting early last month to track down Janjalani and Abu Sayyaf commanders Abu Sulaiman and Isnilon Hapilon. They reportedly fled to Maguindanao with suspected Jemaah Islamiyah militants to escape army offensives on their strongholds, officials said.
Washington has offered a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to the capture of the three militants, who have been charged with high-profile killings, kidnappings and deadly bombings.
The US military has occasionally provided surveillance aircraft and equipment to help track down the rebels, military sources said.
Janjalani is reportedly in the company of Jemaah Islamiyah militants, including two Indonesians--Umar Patek and Pitono, also known as Dulmatin--who have been blamed for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
The Indonesians have been training local insurgents in bombs and combat skills, military officials said.
Army officials claimed over the weekend that they have found skeletal remains they believed belonged to an Abu Sayyaf guerrilla and Umar Patek, who were reportedly killed in Maguindanao's Datu Odin Sinsuat town in a clash last month.
Patek's remains were to be sent to Manila for DNA examination, Demaala said.
Indonesian Embassy officials said they were checking the army's claim, but one ranking diplomat, Rosanna Suparmono, expressed doubts over Patek's reported death.
"We have received a number of reports before about his supposed death but they all turned out to be false," she said. (AP) |
