Janjalani emerges, calls for jihad

Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffi Janjalani resurfaced yesterday, calling for jihad or holy war against "foreign and local enemies of Islam."

In a rare taped message aired over a station of the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) in Zamboanga City, Janjalani declared that the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked by Washington to the al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden, remained strong and united despite relentless offensives by the military.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjamin Defensor, however, dismissed Janjalani’s call, saying it would mean nothing to the Muslim populace.

Malacañang also dismissed Janjalani’s claims as information from a "polluted source."

"We stand by the reports given by the Armed Forces. We know that we have enough people running after the Abu Sayyaf and our men in the field are confident that sooner or later they’ll have this group cornered," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye told reporters.

Janjalani’s call came more than three months after the reported death of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Aldam Tilao, alias Abu Sabaya, in a clash with elite troops in the high seas off Zamboanga del Norte.

Tilao was reportedly slain last June 21 in a firefight with elements of the Special Warfare Group while trying to flee Zamboanga del Norte for nearby Basilan.

The military also believed that Janjalani left Basilan sometime last year to evade the heat from the military’s intensified and rigid campaign to wipe out his group.

Military intelligence said Janjalani and his group joined up with another Abu Sayyaf faction led by Radulan Sahiron in nearby Sulu.

Janjalani blamed the government and the military for the death of American missionary Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse Edibora Yap during a rescue operation in Zamboanga del Norte on June 7.

Martin’s wife Gracia was rescued but was wounded in that incident.

But Defensor declared that Janjalani has no right to call for a holy war since he himself was a "disgrace to Islam."

"He has been calling for a thousand jihads and nobody took him seriously because he doesn’t have the credibility," Defensor told The STAR.

"Bandits have no right to call for jihad, only honorable warriors, not those who kill, pillage and rape innocent women," Defensor stressed.

He added that the government and the people "do not deal with tragic comedians like him."

Defensor added that Janjalani should instead call on his followers to surrender. "Then, maybe, we will entertain him," he said.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Danilo Servando doubted that it was Janjalani’s voice that was aired by RMN, adding that the tape was played just to embarrass the government.

For his part, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Purificacion also said the Abu Sayyaf cannot engage in a holy war because it is a criminal group.

"How could this be a holy war when they engage in kidnapping for ransom? Islam is a peaceful religion. The people of Mindanao want peace," Purificacion said. — With Marichu Villanueva