ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Army Scout Rangers discovered a camp where the Abu Sayyaf and regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah are believed to be making bombs while pursuing militants they encountered a few days ago in the mountains of Basilan, the military said.
Brig. Gen. Nicanor Dolojan, commander of Special Operations Task Force-Basilan, said Abu Sayyaf bandits could have hastily abandoned the camp in the mountains of Barangay Macalang, Al-Barka town as the Scout Rangers were approaching the area.
Dolojan said the Scout Rangers were tracking down the group of wounded Abu Sayyaf leader Nurhassan Jamiri when they chanced upon the camp last Friday afternoon.
Jamiri was wounded during the encounter last Wednesday. A Scout Ranger was critically wounded but later died.
Dolojan said the soldiers recovered at the Abu Sayyaf camp 14 rounds of 60-mm mortar ammunition, ammonium nitrate, two improvised explosive devices, bomb-making paraphernalia, electrical cables, mobile phones with solar chargers, various camouflage uniforms, a medical kit, and personal belongings.
“The mortar ammunition and ammonium nitrate are used as explosive filler in their bomb-making activity,” Dolojan said.
The discovery prompted the military to suspect that the Abu Sayyaf could be planning to mount bombings, thus authorities in Basilan and other places in Western Mindanao have been alerted.
Dolojan said the Abu Sayyaf camp was discovered with the help of villagers. – With Rose Tamayo