2 Sayyaf men fall

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two Abu Sayyaf men, one of them believed to be involved in the spate of kidnappings in the South, including the Sipadan hostage-taking, were captured in separate raids in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the military said yesterday.

Col. Alexander Yapching, chief of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, said combined elements of the 35th Infantry Battalion and the local police raided a safehouse in Barangay Samak, Talipao and captured Abubasar Mohamad.

Mohamad was tagged as among those who took part in the kidnapping of tourists in the Malaysian resort-island of Sipadan under the command of Galib Andang, alias Commander Robot. A high-powered firearm was seized from him.

In another raid in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, another suspected Abu Sayyaf member was arrested but authorities refused to identify him pending the results of the investigation and follow-up operations against the suspect’s companion.