Army to track down foreign terrorists with local links - Gulf Times

By Dempsey Reyes/Manila Times

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is going after foreign terrorists being coddled by the Abu Sayyaf Group based in Sulu, following a deadly encounter in Patikul town on Saturday.
Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said the foreigners were embedded in Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan's Ajang-Ajang subgroup under the Abu Sayyaf terror and kidnap group.
Sawadjaan's group is believed to be behind the deadly blasts at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu a week ago.
The Ajang-Ajang group is composed of orphans and children of the Abu Sayyaf. They run errands for their superiors in the terrorist group.
Besana said the foreign terrorists attached to Sawadjaan's group in the Abu Sayyaf were being tracked down by the military.
Aside from the Abu Sayyaf, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) is also coddling foreign terrorists. The Philippine Army believes the BIFF has members coming from the Middle East, Singapore and Malaysia.
"We can't give a definite number as to how many, as well as their nationalities, because those are operational details," he told reporters.
Besana said Sawadjaan, himself, and his group had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), attracting foreigners to join his group in Sulu.
Following Saturday's encounter in Patikul, the military's Joint Task Force Sulu said that among the fatalities was a foreign terrorist named Abu Black, whose nationality remained in question. A source, however, said he may have come from Egypt.
Lt Gen. Arnel de la Vega, WestMinCom commander, said the military had been co-ordinating with its counterparts in Malaysia and Indonesia regarding the presence of foreign terrorists in the Philippines.
These include trilateral patrolling through a trilateral agreement among the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
"We are going in the right direction as far as collaboration with other countries is concerned," de la Vega told reporters in a separate interview in Jolo, Sulu.
Speaking to Arab News on Thursday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines had monitored foreign terrorists from Yemen, Morocco, Malaysia and Indonesia roaming around Sulu, Basilan and the Central Mindanao provinces.
Lorenzana, citing "unconfirmed reports," said there were about 40 foreign terrorists spotted in Mindanao.
He said there was a small group composed of Indonesian and Malaysian terrorists who came from Syria and entered the country through its southern backdoor.
Meanwhile, eight terrorists were killed while 10 wounded, including a terror leader, during military operations against the BIFF late Saturday in Maguindanao, the Philippine Army disclosed yesterday.
Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division (ID), said five of the eight extremists killed in the firefight in Sultan Sa Barongis, Maguindanao have been identified.
They were Hashim, Abo Salik, Abo Tutin, Saidin Kusain and Guabar Sulaima, while three remain unidentified.
Sobejana said the BIFF group, or the ones under the Torayfe faction, were accompanied by foreign terrorists including those from the Middle East, two Malaysians and a Singaporean identified only as Mawiya.
The faction that soldiers engaged with on Saturday was headed by Salahudin Hasan, a sub-commander of the Dawlah Islamiyah Torayfe faction.
Based on the military's report, Hasan was among the critically wounded during the firefight that lasted for about four hours.
Sobejana also said that the camp of the BIFF members was seized by soldiers following the encounter.
Recently, a brigade commander of the BIFF surrendered to the military, he said. He was identified as Gani Saligan.
According to Sobejana, Saligan had a rift with Hasan, which was why when the former yielded, he pinpointed the exact location of the BIFF leader to authorities.
Saturday's encounter also involved air strikes through the Philippine Air Force's FA-50 fighter jets.
The Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) intensified focused military operations at a terrorist lair in South Tatak, Barangay Tugal, Sultan Sa Barongis, Maguindnao at about 6am on Saturday and destroyed 20-capacity bunkers and foxholes.
According to Maj. Arvin Encinas, spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), yesterday, the JTFC launched surgical air, artillery and ground operations on the confirmed targets against the IS-inspired terrorist group under Salahudin Hassan.
He said the successful operation was a result of positive information and support provided by the former members of the BIFF who surrendered to JTF Central.
"We ease the fear of our people and assure them that JTFC undertook safety procedures as they planned the attack giving due concern to the safety of the civilian populace," JTFC Commander Sobejana said.
"Appropriate co-ordination was also made with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's Co-ordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (MILF-CCCH) and the targeted areas were confined to locations far from the local communities," Sobejana added.
"I am very determined to defeat these threat groups and prevent them from doing terroristic activities to bring about peace in Central Mindanao," Sobejana continued.
Following the twin bombings that rocked Sulu last week, Malacanang urged Filipinos to remain vigilant and co-operate with the government regarding terror threats.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said in a radio interview that this would be the only way to ensure the safety of Filipinos.
"Now, we have to be vigilant. We have to co-operate with our government; we have to co-operate with the (military); we co-operate with the Philippine National Police and our local government units. That is the surest way that is the surest way to ensure our safety," he said.
Andanar also insisted that religion did not come into play on the bombings. He echoed the statement of the Palace earlier that the explosions justified the implementation of the martial law in the country.
He said that if martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus were not implemented in Mindanao, the situation would have been worse.
"If there is a martial law there and these things happen, what will happen if there is none? So, do not meddle with the martial law in Mindanao because it is good," he said.