The military is looking for Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants among those killed in the clashes between troops and Abu Sayyaf bandits in Patikul, Sulu last Sunday.
At the same time, officials claimed more than 60 Abu Sayyaf bandits and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were slain in a gun battle with troops in Basilan over the weekend.
A senior counterterrorism official based in Sulu ordered an increase in intelligence gathering operations in the region following reports that a JI operative was among those killed in the clashes in the province.
A top JI militant, said to be one of the military’s high-value targets, was reportedly killed along with several Abu Sayyaf bandits during a military operation in the mountain lair of bandit leader Radullan Sahiron in Barangay Bubunga in Patikul.
The military said the assault left five terrorists dead and 10 others wounded. Among those killed was the JI militant whose identity was withheld pending further verification.
Two other JI operatives were among the wounded.
“I can’t talk about it for now because we have to recover first the bodies for identification and for possible laboratory examinations,” said anti-terror Task Force Comet commander Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban.
Sabban though revealed that he knew the identities of the slain terrorists, pointing to one of the casualties as the supposed high value JI target.
Officials, however, failed to substantiate the claims since they cannot produce the bodies of the casualties, claiming they have been dragged or carried away by their comrades.
The effort to pursue the fleeing bandits in Sulu to substantiate the body count apparently turned bloody when a follow-up operation in nearby Talipao town on Sunday resulted in 11 Marines wounded after they were ambushed.
While intelligence reports claimed that dozens of militants from the al-Qaeda-linked JI regional terrorist network are now operating in Mindanao, only three of them have been classified as high value targets.
They are Dulmatin who goes by only one name, Umar Patek and Zulkifli Bin Hir also known as Marwan.
All of them carry a multi-million-dollar bounty put up by the US government.
Intelligence reports further added that while Marwan is operating in areas of Central Mindanao and Lanao, Dulmatin and Patek have combined forces with Sahiron in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi for their own security and safety.
In Basilan, Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga said many rebels were also wounded during the clashes that left five Marines dead and 25 others wounded.
The clashes in Basilan erupted during the military operation aimed to flush out the Abu Sayyaf who had kidnapped two social workers last September.
Military officials also failed to substantiate the number of casualties, saying the bodies of the slain and wounded terrorists were dragged away by their fleeing comrades after the assault.
Allaga claimed Nurhassan Jamiri, a known leader of a kidnap for ransom group operating with the Abu Sayyaf and MILF elements based in Tuburan, was among the wounded.
Jamiri was tagged as being behind the kidnapping of Italian priest Fr. Giancarlo Bossi last year and aid volunteers Milet Mendoza and Esperanza Hupida last September.
The military also confirmed that Satar Alih, a senior member of the MILF peace-negotiating panel with the government, was among those killed.
Allaga claimed the MILF leadership became angry with the Abu Sayyaf because of the large number of casualties on their side.
“The heavy figure of casualties has angered some MILF faction because the Abu Sayyaf and kidnap for ransom group sought sanctuary in their (MILF) area,” Allaga said.
The MILF earlier denied getting involved with the Abu Sayyaf or sheltering the bandits.
According to Allaga, it was hard for them to establish the exact number of casualties from the rebels’ side since there were different armed factions of the Abu Sayyaf, MILF and kidnap for ransom groups.
“But it was confirmed that among those wounded was Nurhassan Jamiri,” he said.
Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, on the other hand, assured civilians there would be no spill over of hostilities.
Dolorfino said the fighting was concentrated only in the towns of Tuburan, Al-Barka, and Tipo-Tipo, the areas where the bandits have established their bases for hiding their hostages.
Dolorfino also warned the MILF in Basilan against joining the Abu Sayyaf, saying the escalation of hostilities do not augur well for the peace process.
Dolorfino said troops in Basilan are running after the group of Abu Sayyaf leaders Furuji Indama and Nurhasan Jamiri, believed to have masterminded the kidnapping of Mendoza and Hupida, who were released last month purportedly upon payment of ransom.
He said the MILF, which has a camp in al-Barka, might have reinforced the Abu Sayyaf bandits that led to the skirmishes.
The military claimed Alih led the MILF contingent to help the Abu Sayyaf bandits escape from the area during the assault.
The MILF, however, denied taking part in the skirmishes and accused the military of attacking their camp.
Dolorfino, who used to head the government ceasefire monitoring team, said the killing of Alih would not affect the peace process with the MILF.
“It was in the act of war,” Dolorfino quipped.