Bin Laden photos seized from slain Abus

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Pictures of Osama bin Laden and documents in Arabic were seized when Army Scout Rangers overran a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and killed two suspected members in the jungles of Basilan yesterday.

Maj. Gen. Trifonio Salazar, commander of the Army’s First Infantry "Tabak" Division, said elite troops raided the Abu Sayyaf hideout at the outskirt of Sumisip, Basilan after being tipped off by residents.

"Civilans tipped us about the new camp of the Abu Sayyaf group," he said. "People are angry at the Abu Sayyaf because of their atrocities."

Salazar said the documents have yet to be translated so he did not know if they or the pictures had any significance.

Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko, Armed Forces Southern Command chief, said Scout Rangers and military intelligence agents stormed the Abu Sayyaf’s jungle lair in Basilan Peak near the border of Tipo-Tipo.

"A brief but fierce gunbattle erupted as the troops surprised the occupying bandits about 7:45 a.m. (yesterday)," he said.

An undetermined number of Abu Sayyaf kidnappers managed to escape but many were believed to have been badly wounded as they were not able to retrieve their slain comrades, he added.

Kyamko said Brig. Gen. Bonifacio Ramos, 103rd Army Brigade commander reported the troops recovered the bodies of the two slain bandits, a shotgun, two flags with Arabic writings, and pictures of Osama bin Laden, blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington.

Ramos also reported that documents written in Arabic were also recovered in the makeshift lair, he added. — Roel Pareño, Jaime Laude, AFP