Janjalani wants to swap brod with American couple

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafy Janjalani planned to swap two American captives for his jailed brother, a rescued hostage said yesterday.

Joel Guillo, one of four hostages rescued Oct. 14 in Lumbang, Basilan following a firefight between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf, said he heard of the plan from Janjalani himself.

"He wanted his brother to be freed. He wanted his elder brother (Hector Janjalani) to be swapped with his American captives," Guillo said, referring to missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas.

The Burnhams have been held since May 27 along with eight Filipino hostages in the jungles of Basilan.

The elder Janjalani was captured earlier this year in Manila and is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig while awaiting trial.

Guillo also said Janjalani left Basilan early this month with eight of his trusted aides, soon after the visit of two suspected Yemeni nationals.

Guillo, a hospital worker, was tasked by the bandit chieftain to look after the Abu Sayyaf casualties during his captivity

"He (also) appealed to us not to escape as they badly needed nurses to look after their casualties and promised us a share of the ransom they will be getting from the other hostages," according to Guillo.

Guillo is one of four Lamitan hospital workers taken by the Abu Sayyaf during the siege on June 2.

After his rescue, Guillo left Basilan for security reasons, but he explained that his escape was legitimate because it was during a rescue operation.

Under the Abu Sayyaf’s war policy, all escaped captives are to be hunted and their family harmed. "But our escape, under their rule, was legitimate because it was during a rescue operation," he said.

Meanwhile, government intelligence agents captured another Abu Sayyaf secondary leader with a P1-million bounty on his head while trying to slip from military pursuit in Lantawan town.

Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu identified the suspect as Mohammad Totosali who was arrested Thursday afternoon in Barangay Batopari.

Ground troops have intensified their search in the island’s jungles to flush out the bandits believed to have links with the al-Qaeda network of suspected international terrorist Osama bin Laden.

The suspect, who is under the military’s order of battle, managed to escape during an encounter in Balatanay but was captured inside a billiard hall by the intelligence unit of the 103rd Army Brigade.

Totosali’s arrest brought to nine the number of Abu Sayyaf netted in three weeks, with about 40 bandits killed in a series of clashes in the jungles of Basilan.

Cimatu said the bandits splintered into groups to avoid detection from pursuing troops.

Cimatu also reported that five bandits were killed and a militiaman was critically wounded by sniper fire in a fierce gunbattle Friday night.

The bodies of the dead bandits were recovered by army troops and their identities are being verified, the Southcom chief said in a telephone interview with Camp Aguinaldo reporters.

Cimatu said pursuing troops are now engaging fleeing bandits in skirmishes following an intense battle that erupted in the mountainous boundary of Lantawan and Isabela towns before midnight Friday.

The clash ensued when elements of the 24th Special Forces caught up with the bandits led by an unknown commander at Barangay Lumbak.

Reinforcements have arrived in Lumbak to cordon off the area where the bandits have retreated.

Aside from the Burnhams, the Abu Sayyaf still hold Angie Montealegre, Maria Fe Rosadeno, Roel Abellon, Abdulpata Mohammad, Marlon Dayaganan, Chona Tabunyag, Arina Alonzo and Debora Yap.

In Baguio City, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said yesterday that the Abu Sayyaf lost about 41 men in clashes in the past days.

"They took a lot of beating two days ago," Golez said, adding the military is now regrouping before another offensive.

The national security chief is in Baguio with 26 other members of Philippine Military Academy class ’70 for a reunion.

Golez also confirmed the arrival of a team of US military personnel in the country that will train and equip local troops with more sophisticated anti-terrorist weapons and strategy.

He did not specify how many US servicemen are here.

"They are going to meet with the Philippine military team to find out how they can better equip, train and provide technical assistance and have a better intelligence sharing," he said. "We hope that with this, we are going to enhance further our counter-terrorist capability." – With Jaime Laude, Artemio Dumlao