Troops recover bodies of slain Abus in chase for Red Cross hostages

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Government troops retrieved the bodies of two slain Abu Sayyaf bandits following a fierce firefight last Monday with the gunmen holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers captive in Indanan, Sulu.

Officials said seven other bandits were also killed in another encounter that broke out Tuesday when the gunmen tried to breach the military cordon in the jungle boundaries of Indanan and Parang.

The military said the bandits tried to join the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail alias Dr. Abu Pula when the fighting broke out.

The bandits were about to transfer the three hostages when they encountered government troops, triggering the firefight.

Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga identified the two slain militants as Jul Asbi Jalmaani and Mudar Hadjail.

“Seven others were believed killed based on human intelligence reports,” Allaga added.

Government troops found tents and other equipment belonging to the kidnapped ICRC workers – Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni.

The military said they received new intelligence reports indicating the three ICRC workers remained safe despite the fighting.

Officials stressed the three hostages were not with the bandit group during the encounter.

Sulu Gov. Abdulsakur Tan said the three hostages, who have been in captivity for three months now, have been moved to a safer place and are being given adequate food and medicine.

Regional police director Chief Superintendent Bensali Jabarani said the three hostages survived the two days of fierce jungle clashes that also killed three Marines.

Tan earlier confirmed through his sources that Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad was among those killed in last Monday’s encounter in Indanan.

Armed Forces Civil Relations Service chief Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan also reported that Parad and two of his men were either killed or wounded in the clash with Marines.

The military said two other bandits were also hit when they tried to retrieve the badly wounded Abu Sayyaf leader. Reports indicated Parad later died from his wounds.

Parad, who has been the Abu Sayyaf spokesman for the kidnappers of the Red Cross workers, was likely killed in the clash, Pangilinan admitted.

Pangilinan suggested that Parad was killed by a sniper.

Reports later said Parad himself called up a radio station, disputing claims that he was killed.

There were also reports that Parad called up Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, disputing claims that he was killed by a sniper.

Gordon, for his part, confirmed he had spoken by phone late Tuesday with a man who identified himself as Parad.

He said that during the conversation – a recording of which he released to the press – the man who identified himself as Parad warned that hostages might be killed or injured in the crossfire if the troops continued to advance.

“If the military will not stop its operation and pull out (of the area), there will be no more negotiations,” Parad could be heard saying.

Parad said his group was “prepared to fight” troops anytime, and taunted the military saying, “They said I was killed, but here I am still talking.”

The military, however, doubts the claims allegedly made by Parad on his real physical condition.

Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres stressed the possibility that it was not Parad who gave the radio interview.

“He may not actually be the one being interviewed,” he said.

In the interview with radio dzEC, the person who claimed that he was Parad disputed reports that he was killed although he admitted getting “slightly wounded” during last Monday’s encounter.

Torres said they noticed some discrepancies in the bandit leader’s alleged claim, like his statement that he was hit on the shoulder, but reports have it that he was hit in the leg.

“It would be difficult to validate from the interview alone because it was just the voice,” Torres said.

Torres also clarified the military has not resorted to forcefully rescuing the three ICRC hostages.

He said last Monday’s encounter was part of their strategy to apply pressure on the Abu Sayyaf to release the three hostages.

“We would like to make it clear that we have not yet shifted to a military rescue operation; avenues for a peaceful release of the ICRC victims are still open, our troops are still in the area... the objective is to constrict their movement (and) to increase the pressure on the kidnappers… to just free the victims without any demands,” he said.

Gordon, on the other hand, said questions need to be asked as to why last Monday and Tuesday’s firefight took place.

“The military, this government, has a lot to explain to the families of those who died, to the Red Cross and to our people as to why these incidents were allowed to happen and endangered the lives of all,” he said. – With James Mananghaya, Jaime Laude, AP