The end came for Abu Sabaya, spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf group responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in Mindanao, in a clash with soldiers in the Sulu Sea early yesterday, in which two of his minions were also killed.
Sabaya, 40, whose real name is Aldam Tilao, carried a $1-million reward on his head. He had made a last-ditch attempt to evade yet again pursuing soldiers who had ringed Zamboanga del Norte following the operation two weeks ago that resulted in the deaths of two hostages.
However, despite official confirmation of Sabaya’s death, his body and those of his two followers have yet to be found. There were wire reports, quoting unidentified military officials, that Sabaya’s body had been fished out of the waters near the site of the encounter.
Four wounded Abu Sayyaf members, acting as Sabaya’s security detail, were captured during the clash and are being interrogated by the military.
President Arroyo congratulated the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for its continuing operations to crush the terrorist group which has kidnapped scores of Filipinos and foreigners and sown terror in Mindanao for years.
AFP chief Gen. Roy Cimatu confirmed that the elusive Sabaya was one of the three who were killed in the offshore encounter in Zamboanga del Norte.
Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina identified the captured terrorists as Hasan Hamsi alias Abu Ayob, Abdurakman Ismael alias Abu Saharin, Adzmar Aluk alias Abu Adzmar, and Margani Isnilon.
Carolina said the four were positively identified by Bashir Ordoñez as his cohorts who had kidnapped American missionary couple Martin and Garcia Burnham and Filipina nurse Edibora Yap.
The bodies of the three, including that of Sabaya, were fished out of the Sulu Sea, officials said.
Sabaya and six of his followers were aboard a pumpboat when they were intercepted by a joint unit of the Philippine Marines and the Navy’s Special Warfare Amphibious Group (SWAG) patrolling Mantibu Point, a kilometer off the coast of Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte around 4:15 a.m., military sources said quoting soldiers and bandit survivors.
Carolina said that as the Navy and Marine joint patrol were closing in on Sabaya’s group, two of his followers fired upon the soldiers, prompting them to fire back and hitting Sabaya and two others in the process. The exchange of fire lasted five minutes.
Carolina said one of the captured bandits who was seated beside Sabaya confirmed that the spokesman was hit during the hail of gunfire, adding that he saw Sabaya fall into the sea, tried to swim away but a SWAG member shot him from a distance of about two meters.
Carolina said the survivor told him he was sure Sabaya was hit in the back and that his body sank into the water.
The search team led by Naval Forces South chief Comdr. Ernesto de Leon also retrieved the bag of Sabaya containing his satellite phone, sunglasses, and one M-6 rifle with a M-203 grenade launcher.
Marine Col. Juancho Saban identified the other dead rebels as Abu Musa and Ibno Hajam.
The four wounded rebels were arrested following the Navy’s sinking of their boat, military officials said.
Sabaya’s gang has been linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terror network blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington that also killed scores of Filipinos.
Sabaya’s death may prove to be a turning point for Muslim rebels who have instilled fear and panic in certain parts of Mindanao and the South China Sea from mid-2000 with their kidnap-for-ransom campaign.
Friday’s clash was a fiery end for Sabaya, a high-profile rebel leader who appeared in press conferences wearing his trademark sunglasses and taunting the government to catch him. He had defied the massive military dragnet that involved 5,000 Filipino troops, many of whom received training from US soldiers posted in Mindanao since January.
Sabaya’s death could provide the needed morale booster for the Philippine military who were initially criticized for the bloody June 7 rescue of Gracia Burnham, wife of the late Martin Burnham. Nurse Yap also died in that military operation, where Sabaya managed to escape.
"After the June 7 encounter with the bandits, military forces monitored the presence of a pump boat believed to be that of the bandits hidden in Sibuco area," sources told The STAR.
Marines have placed the pumpboat under close watch together with Navy elements even as the Army’s Special Forces and Scout Rangers continue the pressure against the bandits in the Sirawai-Sibuco area, sources said.
While government forces under the Task Force Comet were conducting pursuit operations in the mountains of Sibugay-Sibuco complex, the bandits apparently had fallen into the trap laid by military in the coastlines of Sibuco.
Routes of withdrawal where the pumpboat was stationed were intentionally cleared of military presence, ostensibly a bait which Sabaya and his group took advantage of at dawn yesterday in their bid to escape from Zamboanga del Norte.
"We closely monitored the movement of the pumpboat while we continuously mounted military operations in the mountains," the source said.
Sabaya was outsmarted when he steered the pumpboat toward the dragnet, the source said.
"Sabaya thought that he could always elude us. That was his mistake," he added.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the Navy commandos were equipped with night-vision goggles which worked to their advantage during the early morning encounter.
"The captured Abu Sayyaf members confirmed that one of those who jumped into the sea was Abu Sabaya, who was wearing a black sweatshirt. The SWAG team also confirmed shooting the man in the black sweatshirt," the President said.
Mrs. Arroyo expressed her elation over Sabaya’s death, which news was relayed to her by Cimatu in a phone call to Malacañang yesterday morning before she flew to San Fernando, La Union.
The President announced the good news about the Zamboanga encounter in a brief statement she read before a joint meeting of the Regional Development Council and the Regional Peace and Order Council for the Ilocos in La Union.
"Our no ransom, no-negotiation policy is paying off. Terrorists will be hunted down relentlessly wherever they are, in the vastness of the jungle or in the high seas. They will be given no room to maneuver, to hide, or to rest. We will not stop until they are all accounted for," the President said.
The President said last night that the remaining ragtag Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan, Sulu, and Zamboanga were now "running like rats back to their holes" as government forces pounded on them.
Speaking from Poro Point in La Union where she stayed overnight, the President announced over live radio and television interview that Carolina has confirmed to her the killing of Sabaya whose body has yet to be found.
Mrs. Arroyo said she would like to believe that Sabaya had drowned.
"The Abu Sayyaf forces have greatly weakened from their previous ranks by the thousands, now they were down to a few since we launched our campaign against terrorism, including the Balikatan exercises," she said.
"From acting like kings, the Abu Sayyaf are now like rats running back to their holes," she said.
"We need to do a lot more for the peace of Mindanao and the rest of our country. So I ask our people to extend their understanding. Our soldiers need your prayers and understanding also," the President said.
Commending the SWAG team that killed Sabaya, the President said they cannot avail themselves of the bounty reward put up by both the US and the Philippines, noting that they can only be rewarded with promotions and legally mandated benefits due them.
Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez promised to give P50,000 in assistance from his own pocket to the SWAG member who had shot Abu Sabaya and another P50,000 to anybody who can recover his body.
Golez described the capture of four Abu Sabaya followers as a "dramatic turn of events."
On the other hand, had Sabaya worn his expensive Oakley shades, which was an "amulet" to him, he could have escaped death by stopping the bullets from harming him.
This was the answer of Defense Secretary Reyes to reporters who asked if Sabaya was wearing his favorites shades, which was his trademark.
"The shades of Sabaya was recovered after the (June 7) encounter. He did not have his shades, he did not have his amulet," Reyes said.
He said Sabaya’s death was a "serious" blow to the bandits. — With reports from Marichu Villanueva, Pia Lee-Brago, Paolo Romero