Troops raided the home of suspected Abu Sayyaf officer Janjala Paradji, 32, in Patikul, Sulu Tuesday after a tip from villagers, Southern Command spokesman Col. Fredesvindo Cobarrubias said.
"The raid was so swift that the terrorist did not have the opportunity to fight back," he said.
Paradji is believed to be a top intelligence officer of the Abu Sayyaf, which is still holding 21 hostages, including an American couple, in the island-province of Basilan.
Cobarrubias said Paradji is included in the military’s order of battle of Abu Sayyaf bandits who carry bounties from P1 million to P5 million.
Paradji’s fall came on the same day three other members of the kidnap group were captured.
Zamboanga City police operations head Chief Inspector Bayani Gucela said Abdulfatah Amjali was arrested after a raid in a coastal village of Zone 4 of this city.
Amjali, a henchman of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani, is suspected of taking part in the abduction of Filipino teachers and schoolchildren in Sumisip town last year.
Also arrested in separate operations in Isabela were suspected Abu Sayyaf members Rafael Tumain and Abdullah Ibrahim.
Another member identified as Wahab Hasalul surrendered to troops in Sulu after negotiations with a local town mayor.– Roel Pareño