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Southeast Asia

Chinese rescued from militants

2010-07-07

A CHINESE shopkeeper held hostage by Islamist militants for nearly 19 months in the Philippines has walked free after his abductors clashed with police, officials said on Tuesday. Wu Xili, an illegal immigrant who also goes by the name Peter Go, was rescued after a firefight with Abu Sayyaf militants on Jolo island late on Monday, regional military chief Lieutenant-General Ben Dolorfino said. 'The rescue operation was initiated by local police in the area,' Gen Dolorfino told reporters, confirming that the 28-year-old was now in government hands and uninjured. Police said there were no reports of casualties on either side after the 10-minute firefight. They said they recovered two rifles, a grenade, and machine-gun bullets from the scene of the clash. Police said the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines, snatched Wu in December 2008 shortly after his family migrated to the troubled south of the country from China to set up an appliance store. The gunmen at one point demanded 10 million pesos (S$301,399) in ransom, though it was unclear if any amount changed hands. Local authorities rarely acknowledge paying ransom, which is against government policy.

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Southeast Asia

3 militants killed in Philippines

2010-04-18

[Straits Times] THREE Al-Qaeda-linked militants suspected of being behind deadly bomb attacks in the southern Philippines were killed in a gunbattle with troops, the military said on Saturday. Two soldiers were also wounded in the firefight on Friday when troops caught up with fleeing Abu Sayyaf extremists on Basilan island, said Lieutenant General Ben Dolorfino. The gunmen are believed to be part of the Abu Sayyaf group that set off two bombs and fired on civilians and security forces in Basilan's capital on Tuesday in an attack that left 15 people dead, Dolorfino said. Two rifles and a machinegun were recovered from the dead extremists, said Dolorfino, who is head of military forces in the southern Philippines. Troops accompanied by sniffer dogs also discovered and safely detonated a bomb believed to have been left by the Abu Sayyaf in a creek on Basilan on Friday, officials said. Security forces have imposed tight security on Basilan and surrounding areas following the Abu Sayyaf attacks, the worst such assault by the group in months.

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Southeast Asia

Abu Sayyaf truck bomb went off early, killing terrorists including commander's brother

2010-04-14

*sigh* Terrorists just aren't what they used to be. So many of the talented ones have been killed or arrested, it appears. ZAMBOANGA CITY--Abu Sayyaf bandits took their campaign of terror to the heart of Basilan on Tuesday, setting off bombs at a Roman Catholic cathedral, school grandstand and three other places, and clashing with government forces in Isabela City. At least 15 people, including the brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Purudji Indama, were killed in the attacks staged by armed men wearing police and military uniforms, reports said Monday night. A bomb explosion tore apart a Hyundai Starex van parked beside the grandstand of Basilan National High School in Barangay Eastside at around 10:30 a.m. Killed were two civilians and a man in police uniform, who later turned out to be Indama's brother Benzar. Prematurely triggered Citing reports of bomb experts, Mendoza said in a phone interview that an improvised explosives device (IED) inside the van "was prematurely triggered." Three Abu Sayyaf members on board the vehicle, including Benzar who was seated at the rear portion, were killed in the blast, he said. He said responding Marine soldiers were fired upon by the armed men. "Two of the Marines were initially wounded and later died," he said. "Our troops were being fired at by snipers. Some residents told us they saw at least eight armed men leaving the campus," Mendoza told reporters in Manila. The attackers also fired at houses as they fled, he said. Two more men wearing police uniforms were captured by the soldiers near the grandstand, he told local journalists. Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command chief, said the armed men belonged to the Abu Sayyaf. Cathedral explosion While the fighting was going on, another bomb placed under a motorcycle went off at the rear portion of Santa Isabel Cathedral on J.S. Alano Street at around 11 a.m., Mendoza said. I suppose the gang had previously placed this one before the workplace accident. Five people were wounded, he said. "The cathedral was attacked by rebels ... I call my people to stay calm. I call the men and women in uniform. We need assistance to neutralize the situation in the cathedral," Bishop Jumoad said in an interview over the Church-run Radio Veritas. "I asked for prayers particularly from the Pink Sisters from the Carmelite monastery that there will be peace so that the problem will be immediately resolved," he added. There will be peace when your kind has been exterminated, Father. Or when the Abu Sayyaf kind has been. Small stores and shops, and at least four vehicles were damaged by the blast, Jumoad said, citing reports from nuns and priests. Jumoad said three other explosions rocked the city plaza, the house of Judge Leo Principe and the vicinity of City Hall. Detonated bomb But police said the bomb found outside Principe's house was detonated by members of the Zamboanga Explosives and Ordnance Disposal Team. A dud. Looks like they have a quality control problem in their bomb manufacturing. Might want to bring in some TQM consultants or something. At least five Marines and one policeman, identified only as a certain Morales, were killed, police reports said Monday night. One Marine was wounded while trying to secure the capitol building, Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, Marine commandant, was quoted by The Associated Press (AP) as saying. Military and police officials refused to disclose the names of the government fatalities. Five civilians were also among the dead, Mendoza told the Inquirer. He identified them as Enrico dela Luna, Edilberto Villa, Rodelio Francisco, Boy Nabi and one Ivan. "Boy Nabi"? Like the Boy Wonder? Or Boy, from Tarzan? Several others were wounded, while five bandits were captured, Dolorfino said. "Right now, clashes are ongoing near the Tabiawan area," he said, raising fears that the attackers might proceed to Lamitan town.

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Southeast Asia

Abducted Irish priest seen alive

2009-10-14

[Straits Times] AN ELDERLY Irish priest kidnapped in the southern Philippines was seen alive in an area known to be a stronghold of Muslim militants, a military official said on Tuesday. Michael Sinnott, 79, and his heavily armed captors were seen on Monday in a coastal area of Lanao del Sur province about 70 kilometres southeast from where he was taken, regional military chief Major General Ben Dolorfino said. 'The victim and his kidnappers were sighted in Lanao del Sur,' Major Dolorfino told reporters, but declined to give specific details so as not to jeopardise pursuit operations. He declined to elaborate when asked why troops were not immediately sent in to rescue Father Sinnott, who was seized by six armed men on Sunday from his home at the Missionary Society of St Columban compound in Pagadian city on Sunday. Major Dolorfino also gave no details about Father Sinnott's health, after the priest's colleagues said a heart problem meant he may not survive the ordeal, and only expressed hope his abductors would treat him well. 'We cannot say anything about his condition but we know he recently underwent bypass surgery and considering that situation (we hope) his captors may not move him around to different places,' Major Dolorfino said.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine Troops Find Rebel Stronghold After Deadly Fight

2009-09-21

This one is for 49 Pan, among others. Let the ululations begin! Philippine authorities said soldiers killed as many as 17 suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group Sunday and discovered a heavily fortified bunker complex that appears to be the group's base of operations on an island that has given them years of trouble. The discovery could explain why Abu Sayyaf has remained so elusive on the relatively small island of Jolo, about 590 miles south of Manila, despite years of U.S. military assistance and training in the area. Philippine soldiers were tracking suspected Abu Sayyaf members when they stumbled on the complex, military officials said. The complex could accommodate as many as 500 people, and the various bunkers were connected by a network of trenches cut into the steep mountainside, said Ben Dolorfino, a lieutenant general in the Philippine army. During Sunday's six-hour battle, the military called in air strikes, he said. Abu Sayyaf guerrillas Monday ambushed and killed eight Philippine soldiers who were returning to base after securing the rebels' lair, authorities said. Clearly there is still mopping up to be done. Let us wish the moppers happy hunting! The guerrilla group, which first came to international prominence in 2000 for kidnapping and ransoming tourists, has baffled Philippine military officials for the way its members seemingly melt away into Jolo's dense foliage. The unearthing of the bunker network suggests how Abu Sayyaf has been able to persist on the roughly 40-mile-wide island despite intensive manhunts and the use of U.S. satellites. Philippine military officials are now preparing to examine the Jolo bunker complex for further clues to how the seemingly loose-knit Abu Sayyaf and its top leaders operate. A map of all their hidden bunkers would be a lovely find... Philippine authorities said Sunday's battle may already have disrupted a meeting between Abu Sayyaf chieftains who were being tracked in the area, including Isnilon Hapilon, for whom the U.S. is offering a bounty of $5 million for information leading to his capture. Formed in the late 1980s with financing provided by one of Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, Abu Sayyaf was intended to radicalize the Philippines' more established Muslim insurgency, but for a period it degenerated into kidnapping for ransom. The group later attempted to attract the attention of al Qaeda-linked financiers by teaming up with militants in neighboring Malaysian and Indonesia, including members of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah group, which orchestrated the Bali bombings. Philippine intelligence officials say Abu Sayyaf is still harboring two important Indonesian terrorist suspects, Umar Patek and Dulmatin, who are wanted for their alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed over 200 people. The Abu Sayyaf rebels themselves have planned major terrorist attacks across the Philippines, including the firebombing of a crowded ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people.

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Southeast Asia

Abu-MILF reported merger

2008-12-14

The military intends to raise before the "proper channels" the reported merger between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf group in Basilan, Military Chief of Staff General Alexander Yano said Wednesday. In an interview during the closing ceremonies of the 18th ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) in Camp O'Donnel in Capas, Tarlac, Yano said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has received "raw reports" of the Moro groups' union in Basilan and that they were investigating the matter. He said the issue will be raised before the Joint Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCH). "We will expect they'll have to do something about it, there are mechanisms on the ground that should work," Yano said without giving details. The JCCH is the monitoring team composed of representatives from the Philippine government and the MILF. It is tasked to oversee the standing ceasefire agreement between the two parties. Earlier, Marine Commandant Major General Ben Dolorfino said they believed the Abu Sayyaf extremists who fled to MILF territories were being coddled by elements of the MILF 114th base command in Basilan. He said that after a day-long gunbattle in Albarka town in Basilan Sunday between Marines forces and Abu Sayyaf extremists, the Al-Qaeda-linked group was allegedly reinforced by an undetermined number of MILF rebels. Five soldiers were killed while 24 others were wounded during the clash. But Yano said the military had the "upper hand" in the recent clashes in Basilan. "Although we suffered some casualties, we are able to inflict considerable damage to the Abu Sayyaf and related groups," Yano said. Military reported that some 50 Abu Sayyaf and MILF rebels were killed during the encounter in Albarka. This was denied by the MILF, saying that only three of their men were killed, including a sub-commander. Despite the clashes, Yano said he saw no need to deploy additional forces in the province. "I have talked to the commanders on the ground, there is no need, we have enough forces in the area," Yano said, even as he said troops in the Zamboanga Peninsula could be deployed in Basilan when the need arises.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines: 'No ceasefire during Christmas', says MILF

2008-12-10

(AKI) - One of the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Philippines's largest Islamic rebel organisation, said that his group is not keen on a ceasefire to celebrate Christmas. MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said that the MILF is not opposed to the government stopping hostilities in December, but did not forget that Manila refused to call a ceasefire during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. "So if they declare a ceasefire now, Muslims will take it as a sign this government values December more than Ramadan," Iqbal said in an interview on dzXL radio. Iqbal however reiterated that the MILF is observing a ceasefire and accused the military of attacking. "We don't need to declare a ceasefire. It is the government that needs to declare one because it is doing the attacking," he said. Fighting between the MILF and the military intensified since August, after a proposed peace agreement between the two warring parties was halted by the Supreme Court on he ground of unconstitutionality. Hundreds have been killed since and over 600,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Many remain in squalid evacuation camps, aid agencies and social workers said. In the last few days, the fighting has been particularly fierce in island of Basilan, Sulu Archipelago, where at least 55 people were killed in two days, the military said. Five soldiers were among the dead. Marine commandant Major Gen. Ben Dolorfino--himself a Muslim--said that the military are fighting against a combined force that includes terrorists of the Abu Sayyaf Group, lawless elements of the MILF, and small kidnap-for-ransom groups. "The military has deliberately attacked the MILF under the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf," said MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu. Abu Majid, a MILF junior political officer based in Basilan, claimed also that attacks have been indiscriminate. "There is no distinction between civilians, Abu Sayyaf, MILF, or those involved in the ceasefire between the Philippine government and the MILF," Majid told the MILF-affiliated 'Luwaran.' Experts have long claimed that the lines between MILF, Moro National Liberation Front--the precursor of the MILF--Abu Sayyaf and lawless groups are very misty in the Sulu Archipelago and that alliances shift fast and are mostly driven by ethnicity and family ties. Moro is the communal term to define the original tribes of Mindanao and Sulu that were islamised in 1380. Karim ul' Makhdum, was the first Islamic missionary to reach the Sulu Archipelago and Jolo. He is credited with bringing Islam to what is now the Philippines, Asia's largest Catholic country. However, there are an estimated 4.5 million Muslims in the Philippines and the majority live in the south of the country.

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Southeast Asia

Military claims to have found Dulmatin's body in Tawi-Tawi

2008-02-19

A body believed to be that of Indonesian terrorist leader Dulmatin, wanted for the October 2002 Bali bombings, was recovered Monday afternoon by a joint military team in Tawi-Tawi province. Intelligence reports said the body was found 1:30 p.m. at the vicinity of Sitio Salisit in Balimbing village, Panglima Sugala town in Tawi-Tawi. "(The) said corpse was jointly identified by informants with notable wounds in the head, chest and right foot to include clothing in physical characteristics matched with previous revelations," the report said. The body was exhumed for DNA testing for confirmation. Reached for comments, Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino said that if the remains turn out to be that really of Dulmatin, his death could be traced to the January 31 clash in the province. "That is the report we got from our units in Tawi-Tawi. Remember that during the January 31 encounter, he was reported injured," Dolorfino told reporters. Dolorfino said an informant led government troops to Dulmatin's supposed gravesite and that based on the informant's accounts of the slain terrorist's injuries, "it matched with (the accounts) of our witness. This is a big blow to the JI and the Abu Sayyaf." Dulmatin, who had been a target of a manhunt operations in Mindanao, was a senior figure in the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). He was one of the most wanted terrorists in Southeast Asia. He is also known as Amar Usmanan, Joko Pitoyo, Joko Pitono, Abdul Matin, Pitono, Muktarmar, Djoko, and Noval. Also as Sam, Harry, Herb, Tom, Hop Ching, Dick, Jane, Sally, and Honeychile. Dulmatin was allegedly one of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia which killed 202 people, including seven US citizens. - GMANews.TV

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Southeast Asia

Bali bomber found in shallow grave

2008-02-18

THE terrorist who built the bombs used in the 2002 Bali atrocity is believed to have been killed in the Philippines. The body of a man thought to be Indonesian bomb expert Dulmatin, one of those behind the Bali bombings, was recovered from a shallow grave in the island of Tawi-tawi, said Major General Ben Dolorfino. He is believed to have built the devices used in the 2002 Bali atrocity, in which 202 people were killed including 88 Australians. "As of now, we are conducting DNA test to confirm if it is really his body," said Maj-Gen Dolorfino. An informant had led them to the grave. "Based on the description of the informant, (Dulmatin) suffered gunshots in the head, chest and right foot," Maj-Gen Dolorfino said. The US Government has offered a US$10 million ($10.8m) bounty for Dulmatin, who has been hiding out in the southern Philippines with local militants for most of the past five years. Dulmatin was reported to have been wounded in a clash with government troops in the south on January 31. Dulmatin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, has eluded the Philippine military and their US advisers for years, although security forces found his wife in 2006 and their children the following year in a rebel hideout in the Philippine south. They have since been deported to Indonesia. Dulmatin, a leading member of Jemaah Islamiah, was believed to have fled to the southern Philippines in 2003 with Umar Patek, another JI member, after both were implicated in the Bali blasts. Both Dulmatin and Patek had been working with members of Abu Sayyaf, a Philippine group responsible for the bombing of a ferry close to Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people in the Philippines' worst militant attack. Foreign Islamic militants have a history of helping to train militant Muslims in the southern Philippines, a largely Catholic country, in bomb-making techniques.

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Southeast Asia

MNLF May Quit the Peace Process in the Philippines

2007-03-03

When looking at the multitude of insurgent problems in the Philippines, one tends to overlook the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1996 establishing the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for five provinces. MNLF founder Nur Misuari led the ARMM from 1996-2001, but became frustrated with Manila's non-implementation of key parts of the agreement and with its interference in MNLF politics. In response, he staged an uprising in November 2001. While some supporters picked up arms in Sulu province, the MNLF leadership was able to prevent a widespread revolt. Misuari fled to Malaysia where he was detained. Arrested in the Philippines, he was never put on trial and today he remains under house arrest. The MNLF is woefully divided between the Isnaji, Islamic Command Council, Executive Council of 15 and the pro-Misuari factions. September 2, 2006 saw the 10th anniversary of the accord, and yet the MNLF continue to have many legitimate grievances. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) failed to implement entire sections of the agreement, starved the region of promised financial resources and wantonly interfered in its politics. There has been no true autonomy, making emotions in Mindanao and Sulu very raw. The MNLF lobbied the government to attend a tripartite meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in February. The meeting, which was to be attended by the MNLF, GRP and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Would you call that an unbiased organization? was supposed to be an opportunity for the MNLF in an international setting to categorically list all of the government's breaches of the agreement in an attempt to recommit the GRP to the peace effort. Translation: Come meet with two islamic organization where we will tell you everything you are doing wrong.... The GRP announced that it would not attend and has tried to buy time by calling on the MNLF to wait until the GRP concludes a separate peace agreement with the rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). If completed, the GRP-MILF accord will lead to the dissolutions of the 1996 agreement and the ARMM government and the drafting of a new organic charter in an inclusive process that will include the MILF, MNLF, civil society and traditional elites (The Jakarta Post, February 23). from 1996 - 2006? Sounds like the 10-year limitation on any islamic peace agreement is past.... The MNLF was upset over the agreement and saw the unwillingness of the government to go to Jeddah as another sign of its treachery. In February, Under Secretary of the Presidential Advisor for the Peace Process General Ramon Santos and Brigadier General Ben Dolorfino (himself a Muslim convert) were not allowed to leave an MNLF camp for two days. Held Captive.... MNLF commander Ustadz Habier Malik refused to let the two leave until the GRP agreed to attend the tripartite talks (Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 6). Some P450,000 (US$10,000) was paid to secure their release. for ransom. Proving the MNLF is a peaceful government organization dedicated to peace... MNLF armed camps have been emerging in the past year on Jolo Island, and the training of new members has continued. On top of that, some MNLF sub commanders have been providing sanctuary and support for members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, to whom they are bound by kinship and clan ties. In a region awash with small arms, there is palpable concern that the MNLF may quit the peace process entirely. Indeed, they feel morally justified in doing so. Of course muslims always feel justified to do anything for some trumpted up 'offense'.... While bracing for cease-fire violations, few within the Philippine military believe that the MNLF could sustain an insurrection over a long period of time. Both the GRP and MILF were taken aback as they assumed that the MNLF would give its full support to the agreement, which in its current draft form gives more to the Moro, including the legal right to secede in 2030. The MNLF, while stating that they "supported the peace process of their Muslim brothers," made clear that the agreement could not come at the expense of, nor supersede, the 1996 "Final Peace Agreement." The MNLF's genuine unwillingness to work with the MILF is based on the false perception that they are still the vanguard revolutionary force of the Moro people. The MILF, for their part, see the MNLF as corrupt sell-outs. MNLF members have told this analyst that they doubted that the two organizations could ever really share power. It need not be zero-sum as the two organizations have a fairly clear demarcation in terms of ethnicity and territory. The head of the GRP's peace panel, Jesus Dureza, said that the hostage incident has "eroded" the government's confidence in the MNLF. Gee... I can't imagine why. They are acting like any other Islamic Terrorist organization.... While the government has agreed to attend the tripartite meeting in May, it is expected to yield little and has shifted the onus to the MNLF, which is unable to determine factional representation and whether Nur Misuari should lead the delegation

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Southeast Asia

Philippine general held hostage by Muslim rebels

2007-02-05

A Philippine marine general said Sunday that he and 19 others were being "virtually held as hostages" by Muslim rebels demanding the full enforcement of a 1996 peace accord, but that they were set to be released within hours. Brig. Gen. Ben Dolorfino and his group had traveled to a remote hinterland camp of the Moro National Liberation Front on the southern island of Jolo on Friday for talks with rebel leader Habier Malik, but were not allowed to leave later that day as planned. "Yes, we were virtually held as hostages, but we were treated well," Dolorfino told The Associated Press by cell phone. "We were used as leverage." Malik separately told The AP by phone that he had agreed to let Dolorfino's group leave his camp later Sunday after being assured that a meeting would be hosted by the Organization of Islamic Conference to discuss the full enforcement of the 1996 accord.

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Southeast Asia

Rebels hold Manila military chief hostage

2007-02-03

Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines are holding Manila's military chief, the head of the government's truce panel, a colonel and an undetermined number of soldiers hostage, senior military sources said on Saturday. Members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were refusing to let Brigadier-General Ben Dolorfino, the commander of military forces in the capital, and Ramon Santos, government undersecretary for the peace process with the MNLF, leave their camp until their jailed founder was released. Local media reported that more than 20 senior military, defense and government officials were being held at the MNLF's camp near Panamao town on Jolo island, 600 miles (950 km) south of Manila but senior military sources, who declined to be identified, would only confirm three hostages. Dolorfino, a Muslim convert who had flown to Jolo for talks with the MNLF, told reporters by text message that he was safe. "Sorry I can't comment. Just wait for the policymakers to speak," he said. A military spokesman declined to comment. The governor of Sulu, an archipelago that includes Jolo, said a local MNLF commander, Habier Malik, had refused to allow Dolorfino, Santos and 11 others to leave on Friday until their leader, Nur Misuari, was released from detention in Manila. Misuari was jailed in 2002 for rebellion after the breakdown of a peace deal the MNLF signed with the government in 1996. Misuari's followers want him to go to Saudi Arabia this month for a meeting of government officials, rebel leaders and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to review progress of the peace deal, which they argue has not been properly implemented. Dolorfino, former deputy commander of the Philippines's southern forces, is the highest-ranked Muslim in the armed forces.

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