March 5, 2002, The Philippine Star, Sabaya's aide captured,

March 5, 2002, The Philippine Star, Sabaya's aide captured, 

ZAMBOANGA CITY — An aide of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya with a P1-million bounty on his head was captured Saturday by military intelligence agents in Basilan. 

Col. Alexander Aleo, chief of the Army's 103rd brigade, told reporters Sonny Teng was arrested during surveillance operations in Lamitan on possible terrorist targets, following a tip-off from villagers. 

"(Teng) is currently being investigated and interrogated," Aleo said. 

Television reports said Teng is an aide of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Aldam Tilao alias Abu Sabaya, who has reportedly fallen ill. 

Teng was apprehended by troops from the 1st Scout Ranger Company and 18th Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Danny Lucero at around 1 a.m. at Oval Site in Barangay Matibay after he was tailed by intelligence agents. 

"He was apparently doing surveillance work on former hostages in Lamitan," Aleo said. "He admitted to being a right-hand man and close-in security of Sabaya." 

Aleo said Teng "went down because his group is already starving." 

According to Aleo, Teng was involved in previous abduction cases including the Dos Palmas kidnapping last year, from which caper the bandits still hold hostage US missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham. 

He said the suspect may be related to Jimmy Teng, the Abu Sayyaf’s alleged political strategist, who was captured in Tuburan town last September. 

Teng was also said to be involved in the Lamitan incident, from which nurse Ediborah Yap remains in Abu Sayyaf hands, and the kidnapping of 10 farm workers in the same town last Aug. 2 and from which two of the hostages were beheaded. 

Aleo said Teng has been turned over to the Basilan provincial police where criminal cases have been filed against him. 

Sabaya, meanwhile, is reportedly suffering from wounds sustained in firefights with government troops pursuing his band. He is believed to have turned over the Burnhams and Yap to Isnilun Hapilon, another rebel commander in Basilan, late last year. 

On Sunday, an Army soldier was wounded in a clash with Abu Sayyaf bandits in a remote barangay on the outskirts of Tuburan, where US Special Forces were deployed along with Philippine Army troops. 

However, Capt. Noel Detoyato, a spokesman for the Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom), told reporters yesterday US troops were not involved in the 15-minute gunbattle. 

"There was no US Special Forces present in the encounter since they are still in the battalion headquarters, acquainting themselves with soldiers and local officials in the area," he said. 

Also Sunday, six Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in a firefight with government troops in a remote barangay in Maimbung town, Sulu. 

Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, a Southcom spokesman, told reporters yesterday troops from the 26th Special Forces Company and 37th Rifle Support Company clashed with followers of Mujib Susukan at around 2 p.m. in Barangay Ipil. 

Susukan is a close associate of Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot, who led the kidnapping of 21 mostly foreign tourists from the Sipadan resort off Sabah on Easter Sunday in April 2000 and brought them to Sulu as hostages, he added. 

Servando said an undetermined number of bandits were wounded in the 10-minute firefight, forcing them to break up into several groups and flee to different directions. 

No casualties were reported on the side of government troops, he added. 

Servando said the soldiers recovered an Armalite rifle, four magazines loaded with bullets, one VHF radio, three combat packs, and a pair of combat boots, he added. 

Earlier, troops from the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion encountered 15 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Commander Abudulhari Annang in Tuburan. 

Lucero, 18th Infantry Battalion commanding officer, told reporters yesterday one Cpl. Musalon Miyo was wounded in a 15-minute firefight in Barangay Bohe Tambis. 

Miyo, a former guerrilla of the Moro National Liberation Front, was immediately taken from the combat zone to their headquarters in Lamitan town for medical treatment, he added. — With Paolo Romero