A Filipino militant wanted by Washington has become leader of a key faction of Abu Sayyaf, the al-Qaida-linked extremist group in the southern Philippines for which he has previously acquired foreign funding, the Philippine military says.
A military report obtained by The Associated Press Sunday says the militant, Khair Mundus, has connections to funding donors from Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. It also says he has an ideological bent and has begun giving Islamic religious training to Abu Sayyaf fighters.
The United States last year offered $500,000 for information leading to the capture or killing of Mundus, who was arrested by Philippine authorities in 2004 but escaped from a local jail in 2007. While in police custody, Mundus confessed to having arranged the transfer of al-Qaida funds to an Abu Sayyaf chief to finance bombings and other attacks, according to the U.S. State Department. |