Pilde tanan

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The military has resumed the massive manhunt for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek, whom the Abu Sayyaf has been protecting in the hinterlands of Sulu.

“We have not actually halted the hunt against the terrorists during the election,” said Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, Task Force Comet commander based in Jolo.

Rafael said troops sent to assist police in maintaining law and order in the different municipalities have already been shifted back to the operation to search for the terrorists.

Troops from the 104th Army Brigade under Col. Antonio Mark Supnet, 3rd and 2nd Marine Brigades, and the Special Forces under the Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG) had helped the police keep the elections peaceful, he added.

About 7,000 marines and army troops backed by the Air Force have been hunting down Dulmatin, Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorist, and Patek, along with about eight other JI terrorists who have sought refuge in Sulu.

Dulmatin – who goes by one name – was believed to have been tracked down the other week when security forces recovered his four children, aged two to nine in the nearby island town of Simunul off Tawi-Tawi.

Armed Forces headquarters confirmed that the military manhunt for Dulmatin has been going on in Western Mindanao.                  – Roel Pareño