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Friday, August 03, 2007
4 Sayyafs tagged in beheading of Marines
MANILA -- Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) investigators have tagged four Abu Sayyaf rebels as responsible for beheading four of 10 Marines in Tipo-tipo town in Basilan last July 10.
National Secretary Adviser and acting Defense Secretary Noberto Gonzales said one of the suspects, identified by police as Nurhasam Jamiri, is among the 130 people who have pending warrants of arrest for the atrocity.
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The three other Abu Sayyaf suspects are Umair Indama, Buhari Jamiri and Suaib Kalibon. Gonzales said they are applying for the issuance of warrants for the arrest of the three suspects.
Quoting the results of the investigation of government and MILF Joint Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH), Gonzales said the four were seen by at least two witnesses behead four soldiers after a firefight between MILF and government forces last month.
"However, the witnesses only witnessed the beheading of four of the 10 Marines. We have not identified, the report does not mention yet and was not able to get witnesses for the beheading of the six others," said Gonzales.
Marine soldiers were on their way home from a fruitless search and rescue operation for then kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi when waylaid by at least 300 MILF, Abu Sayyaf, and lawless elements.
Bossi was snatched in a remote village in Payao town in Zamboanga Sibugay province last month and was released by his captors in Lanao del Norte about two weeks ago.
JCCCH co-chairman Brigadier General Edgardo Gurrea identified the two witnesses who pointed to the four Abu Sayyaf personalities as Nasal Salih, a civilian, and Nasar Tau, a member of the 3rd Brigade of the MILF in the province.
Tau was among MILF members involved in the firefight with the soldiers of the 1st Marine Brigade. He said the witness saw the beheading when he returned to the encounter site between 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. or about an hour after the firefight.
Gonzales said they have other witnesses who can prove the involvement of the four Abu Sayyaf bandits in the beheading but they refused to go public. On whether they are MILF members, he said: "Let's keep it secret for the meantime."
"There are four supposed Abu Sayyaf members (involved in the beheading) and there are 10 more mentioned in the report that are probably standing on the sidelines and watching the atrocity. All in all in the report, we can say that about 14 (Abu Sayyaf) members are involved," he said.
The team identified the 14 suspects as: 1. Kud Abubakar, 2. Abdul Nasser Abdulagani, 3. Ustadz Haliki Suwaib, 4. Jul Sapii, 5. Rorong Baser, 6. Issa Limbaga, 7. Bobong Amsiri, 8. Kandatung Sali, 9. titing Amsari, 10. Jul Lajid Akkili, 11. Ustadz Nacrin Sibbin, 12. Makin Ibrahim, 13. Abdul Muhmin Astalal alias Commader Not, and 14. Jaabar Rajak.
The team's report said though that Suwaib has already fled to Cotabato.
Two of the suspects - Baser and Sapii - were former military men, according to the report.
Gonzales, asked whether they are exonerating the MILF in the beheading, said yes in so far as the four beheaded Marines are concerned. However, he said it was clear that the MILF ambushed the soldiers.
He said it is up to the courts on whether to push through with the trial of the 130 initial suspects that included a number of MILF members. But he said the warrants against the 130 would have to be served by the police as part of their mandate.
However, Gonzales said the government would not oppose a possible review of the cases against the 130 suspects.
The five other recommendations of the investigation report were the interdiction of the Abu Sayyaf suspects; to revisit/strengthen the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF to be "more responsive to similar situations;" reactivation of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group whose mandate expired last June; advocacy of the peace process with all sectors to ensure strict adherence to the ceasefire agreement; return of firearms and equipment taken from the Marine soldiers.
The MILF leadership has said the fighting was a result of a legitimate encounter. They said the Marines entered their area without any coordination as provided under the ceasefire mechanism and that the Marines were the ones who attacked first.
Gonzales said based on the forensic examination conducted by concerned agencies on the bodies of the 10 Marines, at least two were tortured before being beheaded.
On whether he was satisfied with the results of the investigation, Gonzales said: "The report submitted is very good. It has a lot of details but it doesn't mean that the investigation is complete, the report itself says so."
Gurrea offered an explanation as to why there were ASG members in the area. He said at least two platoons of the Abu Sayyaf operate in the nearby village where the skirmish between the MILF and the Marine soldiers took place. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (August 3, 2007 issue)
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