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| Southeast Asia |
| Notorious Filipino bomber injured in clash |
| 2014-06-11 |
| A notorious militant leader with links to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya and wanted both by the Philippines and the United States was injured in a clash Tuesday with Philippine troops in Maguindanao province. Brigadier General Edmundo Pangilinan said Abdul Basit Usman managed to escape a military dragnet, but two other suspected militants were killed by soldiers who raided a hideout of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The slain were identified as the grandfather and uncle of Usman's wife, who was also captured along with her two children who were turned over to social workers. Three other women - two of them Indonesian nationals and a native of Sulu province - were also arrested and that one of them is the wife of Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, the leader of the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia, who was reportedly killed in an American-backed airstrike in February 2012 in Sulu province, but his body had not been found or recovered. Pangilinan said, "Usman was wounded, but he managed to escape and troops are tracking him down. Two other rebels were also killed in the fighting." He said they recovered a cache of weapons and improvised explosives. Troops also recovered a van and 7 motorcycles ready to be rigged with explosives. A wallet with Usman's picture was recovered in the area as well. Pangilinan said the raid was launched after a long surveillance operation and intelligence provided by civilians. He said, "This clearly shows that Usman has a connection with the BIFF which was behind the series of attacks and bombings in Maguindanao and nearby provinces." Pangilinan said troops clashed with about two dozen militants for 45 minutes. |
| Posted by:ryuge |