Military downplays ex-Sayyaf men's info

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The meeting that two former Abu Sayyaf members claimed they had with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek happened before the 2007 encounter in Tawi-Tawi where Dulmatin was believed to have been killed, the military clarified yesterday.

Col. Eugenio Clemen, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade based in Jolo, said former Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Hadjili Hari, alias Doh, 52, and his son-in-law Faizal Dali, 24, told military intelligence agents that the rendezvous with Dulmatin – who goes by one name – and Patek happened before August 2007.

“Although the information helped us, it will be insignificant because this meeting happened before the encounter in August 2007 in Tawi-Tawi against the group of Dulmatin,” he said.

Clemen declined to talk about Patek.

However, the Marines are hunting down the JI terrorists and their Abu Sayyaf cohorts in Tawi-Tawi, he added.

Reports of the alleged death of Dulmatin came a month later after another Abu Sayyaf surrenderee pointed to an area where the supposed remains of Dulmatin were buried.

A sample of the recovered remains subjected to DNA testing last year yielded no conclusive evidence that they were indeed Dulmatin’s.