The revelation by Istiada Oemar Sovie alias Amenah Toha, the wife of suspected Jemaah Islamiyah Dulmatin, who uses only one name, came during her tactical interrogation. Sovie was captured by government troops in Patikul, Sulu last Tuesday.
Dulmatin and fellow Indonesian Umar Patek, both wanted for the October 2002 Bali bombings where 202 people died, are now hiding in Sulu under the protection of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, the military said.
Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said Sovie had claimed, during her initial interrogation, that the Indonesians went to Sulu because the Philippines is a target for supporting the US anti-terror campaign following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Batara said Sovie confirmed that Dulmatin and Patek, both alleged bomb experts of the JI, and Janjalani are still in the jungles of Patikul, Sulu.
The US government had offered a $10-million reward for the capture of Dulmatin while a $1-million reward was offered for Patek’s arrest.
The US military has also been assisting Filipino troops by providing intelligence information to operating units.
Sovie, who was captured together with her two sons (not daughters as earlier reported) Edar, 6, and Alih, 8, also revealed that Patek’s wife identified only as Nurhaina eluded arrest after she pretended to be a deaf-mute.
Batara said that Sovie admitted that she is a liaison and courier of her husband’s group and that she and Dulmatin have been in the country since 2003 and have been hiding in Sulu.
Sovie said Dulmatin’s name was derived from Abdulmatin, which is considered in Islam as a holy name next only to Allah.
"She admitted that Dulmatin is still in Sulu based on the interrogation, she claimed that she is the liaison of the terrorist group in Sulu," Batara added.
Sovie disclosed that since they arrived in Sulu, they have been moving around in the southern Philippines along with Dulmatin, Patek and local guerrillas.
She said their group will not leave Sulu and will continue to fight it out even if they sacrifice their lives.
Wesmincom chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo said the arrest of Dulmatin’s family is part of "Oplan Ultimatum" that the military launched in Sulu on Aug. 1 to search for the Abu Sayyaf group that was reportedly coddling two Indonesian terrorists linked to the Bali bombings.
Cedo said the presence of Dulmatin’s wife in the area had bolstered information that the Indonesian terrorists are still in Sulu.
Military officials said Sovie is being held for violation of immigration laws but she is also under investigation for possible involvement in terrorist attacks.
Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, Armed Forces Public Information Office chief, said government troops conducted the raid in Barangay Sandah in Patikul after acting Immigration Commissioner Roy Almoro issued a deportation order against Sovie following reports that Indonesian terrorists and their wives are hiding in Patikul.
"The capture of Sovie would have some bearing on tactical and operational aspects of our pursuit operations against these suspected terrorists," he said.
Bacarro said that the latest developments showed that the government troops pursuing the group of Janjalani and the Indonesian terrorists are closing in on their targets.
He said Sovie and her two sons will remain under military custody for 15 days and they will later be transferred to the Bureau of Immigration.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who also chairs the government’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force, expressed optimism that the capture of Dulmatin’s wife will lead to the arrest of the Indonesian terrorists.
Ermita assured the people that Sovie and her sons are being treated well despite the ongoing interrogation conducted by the authorities.
"The President is happy that we are moving forward as far as anti-terrorism operations are concerned because we know that, that fellow Dulmatin and Patek for that matter are still in the area," Ermita said.
He said the arrest of Sovie will "disturb" Dulmatin and might weaken his resolve to keep on hiding from pursuing troops.
"That is how it (wife’s capture) will affect the person concerned so since he is a prominent personality so you can imagine that he is concerned on what happens to his family," Ermita added.
He said the military is coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the disposition of the case of Dulmatin’s wife and sons, who are all Indonesians. — With James Mananghaya, Paolo Romero, AP, AFP