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Southeast Asia

Source: Terrorist special ops group formed ahead of Phillipine papal visit

2014-11-18

[InterAksyon] A source from Philippine National Police intelnligence said a newly-formed jihadist group, suspected to be led by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)-trained Abdul Basit Usman, is in Luzon ahead of the five-day visit of Pope Francis this January 2015. The group is apparently a 15-man so-called Special Operations Group (SOG), the source said. The SOG is claimed to be comprised of members of the Al Hansar Khilafa, which is said to have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The source said that the deployment of the SOG from Usman's Group started last June, and may have something to do with the Pope's forthcoming visit. He said the formation of Usman's group, called the "Bangsamoro Justice Movement (BJM)" may have been disrupted after the arrest of Khair Mundos this June and that of Ricardo Ayeras of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM). Mundos, a key leader of the ASG, was suspected to be casing possible routes to be taken by the pontiff when he visits the country from January 15 to 19, while Ayeras was nabbed by the police in Quezon City early last month over a simple traffic violation. The source estimated that the combat strength of the Al Hansar Khilafa could be as many as 60 men. He said, "Their members come from the Rajah Solaiman Movement-Abu Sayyaf Group of the Isnilon Hapilon faction and Usman's former men with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)," adding that there are also some members from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the Al Hansar Khilafa, with three members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) also making up the other members of the group. The source added that the members of Usman's SOG are in Luzon, with some of them possibly in Metro Manila and in the Southern Tagalog Region and all of them well trained in handling explosives. A separate intelligence source had said earlier that the terror cell in Luzon is headed by an Islamic cleric from Bangladesh. He said four foreigners who joined the Bangladeshi cleric had just come from Cotabato where they were believed to have also trained militants in bomb-making and explosives handling.

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Southeast Asia

17 killed in clash with Abu Sayyaf

2014-06-20

Ten Muslim militants and seven soldiers were killed yesterday in one of the bloodiest battles in the southern Philippines in recent months. Soldiers were approaching a known Abu Sayyaf hotbed on the island of Jolo when the fighting broke out. The Abu Sayyaf initially fired on the soldiers, killing an officer. Ten minutes later, six more soldiers were killed and many others injured when the Abu Sayyaf attacked them with mortar shells. The fighting left a reported 10 Abu Sayyaf fighters dead, although only one body was recovered, and 24 soldiers injured, the military said. A military statement said, "The remaining troops are still in the area of operations while the casualties were evacuated." The attack comes after the Abu Sayyaf suffered a series of setbacks including the capture last week of one of its leaders, Khair Mundos. Days later, two of his followers were also arrested.

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Southeast Asia

Big-name arrest, but Abu Sayyaf resiliant

2014-06-19

Philippine security forces believe they have cut a critical link between overseas financiers and the Abu Sayyaf Group. But last week’s capture of most-wanted terror suspect Khair Mundos in Manila left officials acknowledging they still face a long fight to wipe out the network in its strongholds in the country’s remote south. Police arrested Mundos in a slum area close to Manila airport on June 11. He was on the U.S. State Department’s "most wanted" list, with a $500,000 offer for information leading to his capture. Mundos had been a fugitive since 2007, when he escaped prison after admitting that he transferred funds between al Qaeda and the leader of Abu Sayyaf. Philippine military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said, "He’s very important in the sense that he’d get financing for the Abu Sayyaf Group. He would do their [weapons] procurement, and look for foreign donors." Zagala also alleged that Mundos had personally planned attacks. He said, "We’ve taken away their ability to plan terrorist attacks. But now new challenges have erupted from their criminality." Mundos was one of the group’s last leaders inspired by the idea of jihad, rather than the profits from ransoming hostages, according to Rommel Banlaoi, executive director of a Manila-based think-tank. Banlaoi said, "In terms of ideological propagation, [Mundos’ recapture] deals a big blow to the Abu Sayyaf Group." The shift from being ideological militants to organized criminals has, if anything, only increased the group’s resilience, Banlaoi contends. He said, "Kidnapping for ransom is now more of a communal enterprise," with the lines between Abu Sayyaf members and their associates or relatives increasingly blurred.

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Southeast Asia

Two Abu Sayyaf members arrested in Zamboanga City

2014-06-17

Philippine authorities captured two members of the Abu Sayyaf group believed to be involved in several kidnappings, including those of former Australian soldier Warren Rodwell and American Kevin Lunsman, but failed to capture their primary target. Security forces mounted an operation in Zamboanga City on Monday to serve arrest warrants for kidnapping and illegal detention charges on a certain "Walid" in Barangay Sangali. Although Walid managed to evade the dragnet, the team captured Jimmy Nurilla, alias "Doc", and Bakrin Haris, allegedly members of an Abu Sayyaf branch operating in Zamboanga City with links to groups in Basilan commanded by Furiji Indama and Khair Mundos, who was captured in Manila recently. In addition to Rodwell and Lunsman, Nurilla and Haris were also thought to be involved in the kidnapping of elementary teacher Cathy Casipong and businesswoman Sabrina Voon. Voon is still in captivity.

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Southeast Asia

Jemaah Islamiyah training Moro militants

2014-06-13

The Philippine military now has evidence indicating that the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah has been training members of the local Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Brig. Gen. Edmund Pangilinan said troops gathered the evidence from the location in Maguindanao where they clashed with BIFF members last Thursday and captured four militants. The four militants were captured as the military also nabbed Khair Mundos, a leader and key financier of the Abu Sayyaf group, who carries a bounty of $500,000. The group was apparently in the company of Abdul Basit Usman, a JI-trained Abu Sayyaf member, for whom the US government has offered a bounty of $1 million. Pangilinan said two of militants captured last Thursday were women who appeared to be Usaman's wives while the remaining two men were apparently close associates. He said the recovered evidence bolstered claims that Usman had been training BIFF members in bomb-making and the series of bombing incidents in Central Mindanao over the past few months was part of JI-BIFF operations.

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Southeast Asia

Top Filipino Terror Suspect Captured Near Airport

2014-06-12

[Ynet] Khair Mundos, a top Filipino commander of the al-Qaeda funded Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... Death Eater group, incarcerated in Manila's international airport Philippine army troops and police on Wednesday captured a top Filipino commander of the Abu Sayyaf Death Eater group who is on the U.S. list of most-wanted turbans and has acknowledged receiving al-Qaeda funds to finance bombings in the country. Philippine security officials said Khair Mundos was arrested in a slum community near Manila's international airport but it was not immediately clear why he was in the capital. The military and police have been hunting him for his alleged involvement in bombings and kidnappings. Mundos is one of the highest-ranking terrorist suspects to be captured in the country in years. He was captured in 2004 but escaped in 2007. Military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Eduardo Ano described Mundos' capture as a major blow to Abu Sayyaf, where he has served as a top commander, financial and logistical officer, trainer and planner of attacks. The US State Department says Mundos, who also faces money laundering charges, has acknowledged that he arranged the transfer of al-Qaeda funds to the Abu Sayyaf to finance bombings and other attacks in the Philippines. The State Department announced a $500,000 reward in 2009 for the killing or capture of Mundos. U.S. authorities said he has worked as a financier for Abu Sayyaf. He has led Abu Sayyaf Death Eaters on southern Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... and is known to have links with members of the Southeast Asian krazed killer network Jemaah Islamiyah. Abu Sayyaf, which has an estimated 300 armed fighters split into about six factions, has been blamed for deadly kabooms, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. It was founded in the early 1990s on jungle-clad Basilan, near Zamboanga, a region 860 kilometers (540 miles) south of Manila where American counterterrorism troops have been stationed for more than a decade. Washington has declared Abu Sayyaf a terrorist group and blames it for deadly attacks on American troops and civilians in the southern Philippines.

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Southeast Asia

Seven terrorists, one soldier killed in Basilan battle

2013-08-09

Philippine troops battled Abu Sayyaf gunmen in a clash on Thursday that killed 7 militants and left one soldier dead in Basilan province on Mindanao. Colonel Carlito Galvez said seven Abu Sayyaf gunmen and a soldier were slain in fierce firefights in the town of Al Barka. The fighting also left three soldiers injured. He said they stormed the area after intelligence units confirmed the presence of terrorists in the village of Macalang. Galvez said troops raided an Abu Sayyaf encampment and clashed with the group's leaders - Nurhassan Jamiri, Isnilon Hapilon, Puruji Indama and Khair Mundos - who have links with Indonesian rebel Jemaah Islamiya. He said troops recovered improvised explosives assembled from mortar bombs in the encampment. Galvez said the Abu Sayyaf leaders are hiding in areas where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is operating and using them as a shield from pursuing soldiers. Abu Sayyaf militants also attacked an MILF camp in Al Barka town in an effort to drag them into the fighting.

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Southeast Asia

Five Abu Sayyaf terrorists killed in rescue of Chinese trader

2012-09-22

Government security forces rescued a Chinese hostage and killed five kidnappers belonging to the Abu Sayyaf on Thursday in a raid on the terrorist group's newly established training camp in Zamboanga City. Yuan-Kai Lin, an executive for a mining firm, was rescued safely, while five of his abductors were killed and one was captured. Those killed were identified as Termije Ajijul and his wife Sitti Raja Salvin, Abu Ulm, Arab-Arab and Banah-Banah. Sambri Aslon Kamlon alias Abu Ziad, on the other hand, was taken into custody by the Philippine National Police-Western Mindanao Command. The group's leader, Khair Mundos, was shot and seriously injured but escaped. Mundos is a key leader and financier of the Abu Sayyaf. The United States Department of Justice is offering $500,000 for information leading to his arrest. He was captured in 2004, but he escaped from jail in 2007. While in custody, he confessed to arranging funding for terrorist bombings throughout Mindanao. Before the raid of the Abu Sayyaf camp, authorities received information that the Abu Sayyaf recently set up a training camp in a secluded Sitio Porlos in Barangay Calabasa, Zamboanga City. Initial reports revealed that the camp was also being used by Mundos' group in keeping hostages, training grounds and safe havens of other Abu Sayyaf comrades from Basilan and Sulu provinces.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine choppers, troops hit Abu Sayyaf lair

2011-03-11

[Straits Times] PHILIPPINE military aircraft fired rockets and dropped assault troops on Thursday on a southern island where an Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf commander wanted by Washington has been sighted with his men, officials said. Troops launched the assault at dawn after detecting the presence of Khair Mundos, his deputy Puruji Indama and about 15 Abu Sayyaf fighters in a mangrove area on Sacol island near Zamboanga city, military front man Lt Col Randolph Cabangbang said. The notorious Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for deadly kabooms, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. It was founded in the early 1990s on nearby Basilan Island, near Zamboanga, a bustling region 860km south of Manila where American counterterrorism troops have been stationed for a decade. Lt Col Cabangbang said it was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or captured, adding the assault was continuing several hours after it started in an area that was far from communities. Sacol is one of about two dozen islands off Zamboanga city. Military officials became concerned after receiving information that Mundos, who leads an Abu Sayyaf faction in Basilan province, has been spotted in Sacol, which is about 30 minutes by boat from Zamboanga. The Abu Sayyaf has carried out deadly bombings in the port city in the past. 'It's actually alarming because they were near the city,' Lt Col Cabangbang said. 'We immediately undertook an operation to thwart whatever plans they have.' Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist group and blamed it for deadly attacks on American troops and civilians in the southern Philippines.

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Southeast Asia

$3.6m reward for 3 Filipino militants

2009-05-28

[Straits Times] THE United States on Tuesday offered up to US$2.5 million (S$3.6 million) in rewards for tips leading to the capture of three Filipinos suspected of belonging to the 'terrorist' Abu Sayyaf group. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly announced a reward of up to US$1 million for information leading to the 'location, arrest and/or conviction' of suspect Radullan Sahiron, described as a senior leader of the group. I thought he was dead? Or was that wishful thinking? He also announced a prize of up to US$1 million for Abdul Basit Usman, an alleged bomb maker, and another of up to US$500,000 for Khair Mundos, an alleged leader and financier of the group. Sahiron was listed as a key prize. 'Many innocent men, women and children have been killed or seriously injured as a result of Sahiron's actions,' the statement from Mr Kelly said. 'Sahiron played a role in the May 2001 Dos Palmas kidnapping of three US citizens and 17 Filipinos from a tourist resort in Palawan, Philippines,' it added. US citizen Guillermo Sobero and other hostages were murdered, it said. The statement accused Sahiron of continuing 'to plot terror schemes' that affect communities in the southern island of Mindanao. 'US authorities consider Sahiron to be a threat to US and Filipino citizens and interests,' the statement said. Basit, meanwhile, 'is a bomb-making expert with links to the Jemaah Islamiah and Abu Sayyaf Group' and poses a threat to US and Filipino citizens and interests over his links to these groups Washington considers terrorist. 'He is believed to have orchestrated several bombings that have killed, injured, and maimed many innocent civilians,' the spokesman said. The statement said Mundos, who remains at large following a prison escape in 2007, was arrested in May 2004 'on the first-ever money laundering charges against terrorists' after a probe by US and Philippine officials. Mundos confessed to 'having arranged the transfer of funds' from Al-Qaeda to Abu Sayyaf Group leader Khadaffy Janjalani for bombings and other crimes on Mindanao, it said. He is also considered a threat to US and Filipino citizens and interests. Those with information on the location of the three suspects - who are all believed to be hiding on Mindanao - are urged to contact the nearest US embassy or consulate or any US official or military commander, it said.

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