Abu Sayyaf spokesman wounded as troops overrun camp

By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:57pm (Mla time) 01/16/2007

MANILA -- ELITE Army troops overran an Abu Sayyaf camp in Sulu province Tuesday, leaving the extremist group's spokesman wounded and another bandit killed, and resulting in the seizure of a cache of explosive materials, a military spokesman said.

Troops from the Army Special Forces tracked down the Abu Sayyaf camp on Mt. Dajo in Talipao town at around 9:45 a.m. where they encountered bandit spokesman Abu Solaiman and 60 of his men, said Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro in a text message.

But Bacarro could not elaborate on the injuries Solaiman sustained during the hour-long encounter, which also left two soldiers slightly wounded.

The body of the slain bandit, who could not be immediately identified, was recovered from the scene, Bacarro said.

An number of bomb components, including blasting caps and testers, were recovered from the encampment, which had 17 bunks, the military spokesman said.

Last week, troops killed six Abu Sayyaf members, including three sub-commanders, and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant in encounters in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

As this developed, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines are "doomed to annihilation."

Troops have sealed off Sulu since August to catch Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and two JI members -- Umar Patek and Dulmatin -- who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings.

Tissue samples from remains believed to be Janjalani's have bent sent to the US for DNA testing. The decomposing corpse was dug up in Patikul, Sulu last December 27.

Click here to access article as posted on INQUIRER.net