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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
THE Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) said on Thursday that one of the two suspected
mastermind of the October 2002 Bali blasts could have been wounded
in the recent Sulu clash that led to the death of Abu Sayyaf
explosives expert, Abu Solaiman.
Brig. Gen. Arturo Ortiz,
commander of the Special Forces Regiment, said troops are scouring
Sulu province and outlying areas for Dulmatin, a Malaysian member of
the Jemaah Islamiah (JI).
Soldiers believe Dulmatin is now
in the care of Albader Parad, a young Abu Sayyaf militant among
those considered in line to replace slain Abu chieftain Khaddafy
Janjalani.
Dragnet
“Base on signal intelligence .
. . there are reports that he [Dulmatin] had sustained injuries . .
. but there’s no confirmation yet,” Ortiz told reporters during
a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.
Ortiz’s announcement came a day
after President Arroyo asked neighboring countries to help cast a
dragnet for fleeing Islamic militants.
In a statement, the President
said Filipino forces “are closely coordinating with our neighbors
in stepping up vigilance along our common borders to close the
dragnet on Abu Sayyaf remnants on the run.”
Mrs. Arroyo did not specify the
countries concerned, but the Philippine archipelago has sea borders
with Indonesia and Malaysia.
Dulmatin a Malaysian engineer who
carries a bounty of $10 million is charged of masterminding the
October 2002 Bali blasts that killed more than 200 people, mostly
Australian tourists.
On the run
Dulmatin and fellow JI member,
Umar Patek, an Indonesian, have been staying with the Abu Sayyaf and
rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) since
2005.
Ortiz said Dulmatin reportedly
sustained wounds during a clash between Special Forces troops and
Abu Sayyaf militants Mt. Dapo, Talipao town in Sulu on January 16.
Army 1st Lt. Almirante Mejares,
commander of the 8th Special Forces Company, said the battle lasted
three hours.
“We have been receiving reports
that Dulmatin was hit during the encounter,” Mejares said without
elaborating.
Philippine government and
military officials have said that more than two-dozen other
Indonesian militants working with JI are hiding out in the south.
Three other veteran fighters are
leading Abu Sayyaf splinter groups on Jolo as the militants try to
evade a massive military manhunt involving more than 8,000 troops.
One of those leaders is Radulan
Sahiron, a one-armed militant in his 70s who once led the Abu
Sayyaf’s so-called council of elders, but who now is hobbled by
arthritis.
Malaysian watch
The group of several hundred
self-proclaimed Muslim independence fighters is responsible for
several bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians
in the mainly Roman Catholic Southeast Asian nation.
The group is included on the US
State Department’s list of “foreign terrorist organizations.”
In Kuala Lumpur, The Star
newspaper reported this week that Malaysia’s army was on the
lookout for Abu Sayyaf members who might slip into the country after
Janjalani’s death.
“There is possibly going to be
a spill-over of the Abu Sayyaf group but it should not happen,”
army field commander Lt. Gen. Masood Zainal Abidin was quoted as
saying.
“We’re aware of it and
we’re taking care of the situation. Everything is under
control,” he reportedly said.
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