ZAMBOANGA CITY: Military aircraft bombed on Sunday a mountain top stronghold of Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militants in the southern province of Sulu as security forces mounted fresh offensives against the two terror groups blamed for the spate of kidnappings and bombings in Mindanao, officials said.
Officials said that three militants were killed in the fighting in Karawan in Indanan town and that troops recovered weapons and the bodies of suspected Abu Sayyaf militants.
“There is an ongoing government operation aimed at capturing high-value targets—Abu Sayyaf leader Doc Abu and several JI terrorists, among them Marwan and Mauiya,” said Chief Insp. Amil Baanan, the operations chief of the provincial police force.
He said that police forces have put up checkpoints and additional patrols in Sulu to ensure the safety of civilians from possible retaliation of the Abu Sayyaf.
Army Lt. Col. Randolph Ca-bangbang, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said that the operation began on Saturday and continued the next day with air force OV-10 bombers providing air support for the ground assault.
“The operation against the terrorists is going on,” he said, adding that the area is a known hideout of the Abu Sayyaf.
Doc Abu, whose real name is Umbra Jumdail, and Malaysian JI militant Marwan, or Zulkifli bin Hir, and Indian terrorist Mauiya, are on top of the military’s order of battle and are wanted by the US government on terrorism charges.
There was no immediate report if any of the three men were killed or wounded in the fighting.
