August 2, 2006, The Philippine Star, Heavy fighting erupts in Sulu, by Roel Pareño,

 

August 2, 2006, The Philippine Star, Heavy fighting erupts in Sulu, by Roel Pareño,

 

INDANAN, Sulu — Heavy fighting erupted in this town yesterday as government forces launched an offensive against Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and two foreigners suspected of masterminding the October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia.

 

Army troops and Marines backed by helicopter MG-520 gunships clashed with Abu Sayyaf guerrillas after Janjanlani and his two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) cohorts, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, were spotted in the village of Marang, near a camp of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), in Indanan.

 

Two Marines have been wounded. No casualties were given for the Abu Sayyaf and JI.

 

The major offensive erupted as the military and the MNLF firmed up their close cooperation in the latest military action to deprive terrorists of sanctuary and bring development to this province, one of the poorest in the country.

 

The MNLF said it will deny Janjalani and his confederates refuge. After fighting a decades-long rebellion to establish a separate Muslim homeland in Mindanao, the MNLF signed a 1996 peace deal with the government.

 

Military and MNLF officials are in close contact to avoid accidental clashes between troops and MNLF fighters.

 

Dulmatin and Umar Patek are both figures in the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization and are wanted by the United States.

 

Dulmatin, who carries a $10-million bounty on his head, is an electronics specialist with training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and is a senior figure in Jemaah Islamiyah.

 

He is believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, which killed 202 people, including seven Americans.

 

Umar Patek, who has a $1-million bounty on his head, is believed to have served as the assistant for the field coordinator of the Bali bombings.

 

The United States is offering $5 million for the capture of Janjalani, who is in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of most wanted terrorists for kidnapping and killing US citizens.

 

Janjalani has long been the subject of a massive military manhunt. In 2003, he was reportedly spotted in Sultan Kudarat province, where he was believed to have fled after clashes with government forces in Basilan, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold.

 

Janjalani is believed to be hiding in Sulu since October after escaping a military dragnet in Sultan Kudarat.

 

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, Southern Command deputy chief for operations, said Janjalani, Dulmatin and Umar Patek were sighted taking refuge in Indanan near an MNLF camp.

 

"They have combined forces with the other Abu Sayyaf commanders," Dolorfino said.

 

Military officials believe their forces are facing about 100 to 150 Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

 

Two Marines were wounded in the initial fighting early morning yesterday when troops of the 3rd Marine Brigade's Force Recon Company ran into an Abu Sayyaf unit led by Umar Patek.

 

The two Marines were evacuated and flown to a military hospital with help from the US Joint Special Operation Task Force. "We have been consistent in providing training and technical assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines," said US task force spokeswoman Cmdr. Katy Wright.

 

US troops are not involved in combat operations but are helping in securing civilians. Government forces are helping civilians out of harm’s way as the pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf continues. MNLF cooperating

 

Khaid Ajibun, MNLF Sulu State chairman, said they are cooperating with the military in line with the 1996 peace accord. He said the MNLF will not allow the Abu Sayyaf to seek refuge in their territory and MNLF fighters have been ordered to keep them out.

 

The military and the MNLF have established a "no firing" buffer zone to avoid accidental clashes. Signs have been posted to prevent soldiers from straying into the six-square-kilometer MNLF-controlled territory.

 

"We in the MNLF are in compliance with the peace agreement," Ajibun said.

 

MNLF fighters appeared jittery as sounds of gunfire appeared to be getting closer and went on for about an hour as the Abu Sayyaf appeared to be trying to drag the MNLF into the fight.

 

Ajibun ordered his commanders to stay put inside the buffer zone to prevent them from being mistakenly fired upon by government troops.

 

The fighting briefly trapped MNLF political emissary Sahie Udjah and another emissary in the camp as the battle intensified. They were able to leave during a lull in the fighting.

 

Machinegun bullets from two MG-250 attack helicopters exchanging fire with Abu Sayyaf guerrillas landed near Buansa Elementary School where Dolorfino was discussing cooperation with MNLF officials.

 

They moved out when the fighting came close to about 500 meters of the MNLF camp as school children and frightened villagers were herded to safety.

 

Sulu Vice Gov. Lady Ann Saidullah has ordered emergency supplies delivered to refugees.

 

The Abu Sayyaf is known mainly for kidnapping foreigners and Christians in Mindanao and then holding them for hefty ransom payments. They have also beheaded poor hostages who could not pay ransom.

 

The group has been loosely linked to the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden by the Philippine and US governments.

 

Janjalani is the youngest brother of late Abu Sayyaf founder Abduradjak Abubakar Janjalani. He took over when his brother was killed in 1998 in a clash with government troops.

 

Janjalani is one of five top Abu Sayyaf leaders wanted by the US government in connection with the 2001 kidnappings of a group of tourists, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Peru-born Guillermo Sobero.

 

Washington offered a bounty of up to $5 million each for their capture. One of them, Aldam Tilao alias Abu Sabaya, was killed by the military in an offshore clash with crack troops in June 2002.

 

Sobero was beheaded shortly after the abduction, while Martin Burnham was killed in a military rescue attempt in June 2002, in which Filipina nurse Edibora Yap was also killed.

 

Burnham’s wife, Gracia, was rescued by US-trained Philippine commandos.

 

In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf bombed a passenger ferry in Manila Bay, killing more than 100 in what is believed to be the Philippines' worst terrorist attack.

 

The Abu Sayyaf is estimated to have about 400 guerrillas, down from more than 1,000 at the height of its high-profile kidnapping spree in early 2000.