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| Southeast Asia |
| "Slain" Malaysian bomb maker not dead |
| 2014-08-07 |
| The Philippine military said that one of Southeast Asia’s top Islamic Zulkifli Abdul Hir, alias Marwan, a Malaysian bomb maker with a $5 million US government bounty on his head, was in the southern Philippines, senior military officials said. Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said, "He is alive and we continue to monitor him." Philippine military leaders said in February 2012 that Zulkifli was among 15 members of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah groups killed in an airstrike on the island of Jolo. Another top Jemaah Islamiyah member, Singaporean Mohammad Ali, alias Muawiyah, was also declared killed in the airstrike, along with a Filipino leader of the Abu Sayyaf. At the time then regional military commander Major General Noel Coballes said, "This is a big victory. There were three senior leaders (killed). This will have a very big impact on the capability of the terrorists." Shortly afterwards, Malaysia expressed doubts about the purported killings, but the Philippines’ then military spokesman insisted that all three were killed. Arnulfo Burgos, Zagala’s predecessor, said at the time, "Yes, its an A-1 (information). We have something but we cannot divulge all the other information because its an operational (secret)." However Zagala insisted today that the Philippine military had never said Zulkifli had definitely been killed. He said, "There were reports that said he was dead, but it was never validated… we never confirmed he was dead." Zagala declined to answer any further questions about the case, such as whether the other two top Military intelligence chief Major General Eduardo Ano said there were "consistent reports" Zulkifli was in the Cotabato area of the main southern island of Mindanao. He said Zulkifli was believed to be in contact there with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). He added that there were 10 to 12 foreign Jemaah Islamiyah members in the southern Philippines, and that Zulkifli was "the most prominent" of them. |
| Posted by:ryuge |