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By Al Jacinto, Correspondent
SULU: A senior rebel leader of theMoro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) implicated by the military to the spate of
attacks and banditry was killed in a firefight in Zamboanga Sibugay
province, officials said Sunday.
Army Major Gen. Nehemias Pajarito said soldiers
and policemen clashed with MILF leader Akiddin Abdusalam, also known
as Commander Kiddie, in the town of Kabasalan and eventually killing
the rebel leader tagged as behind the kidnappings of three Italian
missionaries in Mindanao.
Pajarito, commander of the 1st Infantry
Division, said the clash occurred Saturday afternoon, but the
identity of Abdusalam was just confirmed the next day. Two of
Abdusalam’s aides managed to escape, but one is believed wounded
in the fighting and we are tracking him down, he said.
“We already suspected that it was Akiddin who
was killed, but our forces just got the confirmation today. At least
we got one notorious terrorist leader and with the killing of
Akiddin, we hope peace will soon return to the province,” he told
The Manila Times.
Abdusalam was spotted near the town’s wharf at
around 4:15 p.m. When security forces tried to arrest him, Commander
Kiddie fought off the soldiers sparking a firefight. There were no
casualties on the government side, Pajarito said.
Pajarito said the slain rebel leader was behind
many banditry and piracy in Mindanao and was tagged also as one of
the gang leaders that kidnapped Fr. Luciano Benedetti in Zamboanga
del Norte province in 1998; Fr. Giuseppe Pierantoni in Zamboanga del
Sur in 2001; and Fr. Giancarlo Bossi in Zamboanga Sibugay province
in June last year. All Italian priests were freed after private
negotiators paid huge ransoms.
Abdusalam was also linked to last month’s
bombing outside a Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga that killed
three people and wounded more than a dozen others. Security forces
are fighting Muslim and communist rebels in Mindanao, including the
Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah.
Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, said Abdusalam was
long expelled from the MILF because of his criminal past. “We no
longer care about Akiddin because he was expelled long time ago from
our organization because of his criminal activities. We do not
tolerate criminals,” he said in a separate interview.
The MILF is the Philippines’ largest Muslim
rebel group which is engage in peace talks with the government.
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