Philippine terrorist group leader killed

MANILA - Three senior leaders of local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and Southeast Asian regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah and 12 other terrorists were reported killed in an airstrike in the southern province of Sulu Thursday dawn, the Philippine military said.

In a phone interview, Noel Coballes, commander of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said troops on the ground confirmed the death of the 15 terrorists though he said their bodies have not been retrieved.

The fatalities included Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbahali Jumdail, known as Dr. Abu, and JI personalities Zulkipli Abdul Hir, alias Marwan and Ibrahim; and Mumamda Ali, alias Muawiya. The identities of the 12 others were not immediately known.

Jose Tony Villarete, commander of the 3rd Air Division, said two OV-10 bomber planes were dispatched from Zamboanga City at around 3 am and dropped four bombs on the terrorist lair.

"They (pilots) hit the target given by Wesmincom. This is a joint operation with Wesmincom...Our three targets were hit," said Villarete, referring to the three terrorists.

Coballes said the airstrike targeted a temporary camp of the terrorists at the village of Duyan Kabau. "It's a deliberate, fully-planned attack from our forces...They (terrorists) were temporarily camped in that area," he said.

"Based on our report, there were at least 15 killed, including the three leaders... This has a very big (negative) impact on them because three of their leaders were hit. That would have a very big impact on the capability of the terrorists," he said.

The official said at least 15 other terrorists fled after the airstrike but returned later to retrieve their dead. Coballes hinted that the remnants of the group fled to a camp of the Moro National Liberation Front which has signed a peace accord with the government in 1996.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos told a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo that a number of bodies were recovered. "According to the ground troops and the Philippine National Police (PNP), the three are positive (to be dead)," he said.

Burgos said Jumdail, one of the senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, is facing kidnapping and serious illegal detention cases before the courts.

Jumdail is one of the terrorists wanted by the U.S. government which has offered a 140,000 U.S. dollars for his neutralization. On the other hand, the Philippine government has earmarked 7.4 million pesos (172,500 U.S. dollars) for his capture.

Jumdail is involved in the April 2000 kidnapping of 21, mostly Caucasian tourists from the Sipadan diving resort in Malaysia. The victims were brought to Basilan and subsequently released after payment of large amount of ransom.

Meanwhile, Burgos described Marwan, a Malaysian, as the " overall leader" of the JI in the Philippines and an improvised explosive device expert. The United States and the Philippines have offered a reward 5.2 million U.S. dollars and 7.4 million pesos, respectively, for his neutralization

Mauiyah, on the other hand, is a Singaporean and a former member of the Singaporean military with the rank of major. He has a 50,000-dollar reward offered by the US for his neutralization, said Burgos.