2 other top Pentagon leaders hunted down

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — The military is now hunting down two other top leaders of the Pentagon kidnapping gang, who may take the helm of the notorious group after Thursday’s killing of the right-hand man of their slain chief Tahir Alonto.

Lt. Col. Franklin del Prado, civil-military relations officer of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said intelligence units of all their brigades in Central Mindanao have each fielded 30 plainclothes operatives to track down Ma—yangkang Saguile and Samad Pandita.

A joint team of the Army’s 604th Infantry Brigade and Sultan Kudarat police gunned down Alonto’s right-hand man, Ahman Kapuyak, also known as Anton and Kurato, during a raid on his hideout in Buluan, Maguindanao last Thursday night.

Local officials and religious leaders helped carry out the raid.

Del Prado said Kapuyak, implicated in more than 30 kid—nappings, was Alonto’s closest follower.

Kapuyak reportedly took over the Pentagon leadership during a gathering of the group’s key leaders somewhere in the Liguasan Marsh last week.

Alonto and 17 of his followers were killed during an airstrike on their lair in S.K. Pendatun, Ma—guindanao last Aug. 13.

"Our intelligence units are now (tracking down) Saguile and Pandita with the help of religious leaders in Maguindanao and surrounding provinces," Del Prado said.

Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan said he is ready to shell out cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of Saguile and Pandita, who each carries a P1-million prize on their heads.

Ampatuan said he has asked the mayors of towns around the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Marsh to enlist the help of religious leaders in their respective areas in hunting down Saguile and Pandita.