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Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Troops trail JI bombers in Sulu
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Filipino soldiers in Sulu were trailing Monday two Jemaah Islamiya militants wanted for the Bali bombings, as government offensive continued in the restive Philippine south, a regional military commander said.
Major General Eugenio Cedo said soldiers were pursuing Dulmatin and Umar Patek, wanted by Jakarta and Washington for the deadly bombings in the Indonesian resort island that killed more than 200 people in 2002.
"The Abu Sayyaf is protecting the two Jemaah Islamiya bombers in the mountains (of Sulu) where troops have been pursuing them," Cedo said.
Troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf over the weekend near Patikul town, scene of fierce fighting since last month that left over 100 militants and soldiers dead and wounded.
Cedo said soldiers have recovered vital documents that included four computer diskettes containing scripts written in Basaha Indonesia, believed left behind by Dulmatin and Patek at a jungle camp in Jolo's Patikul town, bolstering early government suspicion that Jemaah Islamiya was supporting the Abu Sayyaf operation in the southern Philippines.
"We have recovered many documents, including four computer diskettes, believed owned by the Jemaah Islamiya bombers. In it were scripts and text written in Bahasa Indonesia with high intelligence value," Cedo said.
He said the diskettes would be handed over to authorities in Manila for translation.
Cedo said the seized documents showed the extent of the Jemaah Islamiya influence on the Abu Sayyaf. "We also recovered JI training and terrorism manuals and manuscripts on how to make IEDs (improvised explosive device). This shows the connection of the JI to the Abu Sayyaf," he said.
The military also recovered a purported letter of a councilman in Jolo dated July 17 and addressed to Umbra Jumdail, a senior Abu Sayyaf leader. The letter was written on a yellow paper in local Muslim dialect, but Cedo did not say what was on the letter.
On Friday, government planes rained bombs on the mountain strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul in an effort to flush out about 200 militants, including Dulmatin and Patek.
A pair of Philippine Air Force OV-10 bombers attacked the mountains of Patikul just after noontime to pave way for ground assault. More soldiers were sent to the island Friday where tens of hundreds of troops were battling the Abu Sayyaf, officials said.
Washington offered as much as $10 million reward for the capture of Dulmatin and another $1 million for Patek's head. The US also put up another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also offered up to P100 million bounties for the capture of senior Abu Sayyaf leaders -- dead or alive.
At least eight soldiers had been killed and dozens more injured in the weeklong battle in Jolo. One militant was also captured in Thursday fighting that erupted in the hinterland village of Kandulan in Parang town, southwest of the island.
Cedo said the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf will continue even as Muslims prepare for the Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. "There is no timeline in this operation against the terrorists. Sooner or later, the Abu Sayyaf and the JI will be neutralized," he said.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops in anti-terror warfare were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek. (Sunnex)
(September 12, 2006 issue)
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