Government troops on Thursday swooped down the lair of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Dulmatin in Balimbing, Tawi-Tawi but failed to capture the notorious terrorist. The military, however, was able to kill a certain Radi Upao, allegedly a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf group who has a P2-million reward on his head for charges of kidnapping, serious illegal detention, and mass abduction, according to Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro. "Alias Dulmatin was able to escape," Bacarro said.
In a dzBB report, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao identified Upao as the killer of missionary Reynaldo Roda. No casualty was reported on the government side, Bacarro said. Roda, a member of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate, was killed Jan. 15 after he fought his abductors who were dragging him to a motorboat in South Ubian town, also in Tawi-Tawi province.
Dulmatin is a senior figure in the militant group JI and is one of the most wanted terrorists in Southeast Asia. He is believed to be with the Abu Sayyaf group since 2003 and was involved in providing explosive expertise and training other militants.