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June 21, 2002, USA Today, Top Muslim terrorist thought to be dead,

from web site

Sabaya Burnham names

June 21, 2002, USA Today, 1:23 AM ET, Top Muslim terrorist thought to be dead,



 
Reuters
Sabaya


ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) — A top Abu Sayyaf leader linked to the kidnappings of two Kansas missionaries and scores of other people was believed killed in a firefight with U.S.-trained troops Friday, military sources said.

Abu Sabaya was the most visible of the Muslim extremist group's commanders, often calling up local media with demands and statements taunting the government. The Philippine military said it had been hot on his trail after a June 7 rescue attempt left two of the group's last three hostages dead, along with three rebels. Washington recently offered a $5 million bounty for his capture.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who repeatedly has vowed to crush the Abu Sayyaf, congratulated the military, adding: "Terrorists will be hunted down relentlessly wherever they are. They will be given no room to maneuver, to hide, or to rest. We will not stop until they are all accounted for."

She said the clash occurred around 4:30 a.m. a half-mile off the coast of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte province, site of the June 7 clash.

Special forces with the Philippine Navy fought Abu Sayyaf members on a boat, and Sabaya was leading the guerrillas, she said in a written statement.

Three Abu Sayyaf members were wounded and jumped off their boat, while four others were captured, the president said. The captured Abu Sayyaf members confirmed that one of those who jumped into the sea was Abu Sabaya, who was wearing a black sweatshirt. Soldiers confirmed shooting the man in the sweatshirt.

A military source said a body believed to be that of Sabaya was recovered and officials were trying to confirm the identity. [a totally bogus and gratuitous lie ] 

"We did get word from the (Philippine military) that Abu Sabaya was one of those killed in the encounter," said Maj. Richard Sater, a spokesman for U.S. forces conducting a counterterrorism training exercise aimed at helping local troops wipe out the Abu Sayyaf. "We are encouraged. It is a step forward in the war against terrorism."

He said Americans provided unspecified support during the clash but were not directly involved in the fighting.

"We're here to advise and assist. We helped out in that capacity this morning, providing some surveillance and communication, that sort of thing," Sater said. Asked if Americans were nearby, Sater said: "Yes, but I can't say how near."

Troops said they had found Sabaya's trademark sunglasses and backpack at the site of the June 7 clash in the dense jungle of Zamboanga del Norte province on the main southern island of Mindanao. Friday's gun battle occurred nearby, and the military sources speculated the rebels may have been trying to flee the island.

Freed captives have said Sabaya led the predawn raid on an upscale resort on May 27, 2001, in which the guerrillas snatched 20 hostages. Included were three Americans, missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan., and Guillermo Sobero of Corona, Calif.

Using speedboats purchased with ransoms from another mass abduction a year earlier, the guerrillas transported the hostages across the Sulu Sea to Basilan island, where the military launched a massive search.

The United States sent 1,000 American troops to provide training and high-tech support to the badly undertrained and underequipped Philippine troops.

Abu Sayyaf, or Bearer of the Sword in Arabic, is the guerrilla name of founder Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, said to be a former member of a larger Muslim rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front. He studied Islam in Libya, Syria and Saudi Arabia and fought in Afghanistan. He was killed in a clash with police in late 1998.

The group reportedly got early support from the al-Qaeda terrorist network, but had become more of a bandit gang, thriving on kidnapping-for-ransom and killing captives whose families couldn't afford to pay.

Sabaya, whose real name is Aldam Tilao, once studied computer engineering. After visiting Saudi Arabia for work, he returned home in the late 1980s and joined the Abu Sayyaf.

Sabaya, expressing anger over the government's refusal to bring in outside hostage negotiators, threatened last June to kill Sobero. Days later, claiming a government double-cross, he called a local radio station to say he had beheaded the American.

Months later, Sobero's remains were found scattered in the jungle.

Using hostages as human shields, the Abu Sayyaf snatched a total of 102 people over several months. Some were killed; others escaped and the rest were freed, reportedly for large ransoms. Only the Burnhams and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap were left when troops found footprints in the jungle on June 7 and tracked down the rebels.

Martin Burnham and Yap were killed in the ensuing battle, and Gracia was shot through the thigh.

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