ZAMBOANGA CITY – At least 20 people were injured in a bomb blast outside a packed Catholic church on Sulawesi Island during Palm Sunday and Indonesian police said one of two suicide attackers was being linked to twin bombings in Sulu province in southern Philippines in January 2019.
Showing posts with label Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Troops kill Sayyaf bomb expert linked to Sulu suicide attacks (WARNING: Contains graphic image)
SULU – Filipino troops killed an Abu Sayyaf bomb expert who engineered explosives
used by suicide attackers last year in the southern province of Sulu, security officials
said Sunday.
Friday, May 24, 2019
Muslim scholar shot dead in Zamboanga
PAGADIAN CITY – Motorcycle gunmen shot dead a Muslim scholar in an attack in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, police said Friday.
Police said the 37-year old Ustadz Abdurahman Abubakar was travelling on a motorcycle with his wife and child when the gunmen, who were tailing them, shot him from behind several times in the village of Malambuhangin in Siocon town.
The assailants fled after the shooting leaving behind Abubakar’s wife and child unscathed. The killing, which occurred late Thursday afternoon, is being investigated by the police, according to Major Helen Galvez, a regional police spokeswoman.
“The unidentified suspects shot the victim several times hitting his left shoulder and right forehead that cause his instantaneous death. The suspects hurriedly fled away to the hinterlands,” she said.
Abubakar’s family did not give any statement on the murder and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the killing. Attacks on Muslim scholars and religious leaders are in the region.
But in January, two unidentified men also attacked a local mosque, exploding a fragmentation grenade that killed 2 Islamic missionaries or Tablighi Jamaat in Zamboanga City.
Five other missionaries were wounded in the attack on Kamalhaldikan Mosque. At least 11 people were sleeping at the mosque when the attack occurred, killing Sattal Bato, 47, and Rex Habil, 46.
No individual claimed responsibility for the desecration of the mosque which occurred 3 days after a pair of Indonesian ISIS bombers blew themselves up at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province that left dozens of casualties.
Muslim scholars, in a strong worded statement, called the attack on the mosque and the killings of the missionaries, as “devilish, irrational and inhumane act.” (The Zamboanga Post)
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Police said the 37-year old Ustadz Abdurahman Abubakar was travelling on a motorcycle with his wife and child when the gunmen, who were tailing them, shot him from behind several times in the village of Malambuhangin in Siocon town.
The assailants fled after the shooting leaving behind Abubakar’s wife and child unscathed. The killing, which occurred late Thursday afternoon, is being investigated by the police, according to Major Helen Galvez, a regional police spokeswoman.
“The unidentified suspects shot the victim several times hitting his left shoulder and right forehead that cause his instantaneous death. The suspects hurriedly fled away to the hinterlands,” she said.
Abubakar’s family did not give any statement on the murder and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the killing. Attacks on Muslim scholars and religious leaders are in the region.
But in January, two unidentified men also attacked a local mosque, exploding a fragmentation grenade that killed 2 Islamic missionaries or Tablighi Jamaat in Zamboanga City.
Five other missionaries were wounded in the attack on Kamalhaldikan Mosque. At least 11 people were sleeping at the mosque when the attack occurred, killing Sattal Bato, 47, and Rex Habil, 46.
No individual claimed responsibility for the desecration of the mosque which occurred 3 days after a pair of Indonesian ISIS bombers blew themselves up at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province that left dozens of casualties.
Muslim scholars, in a strong worded statement, called the attack on the mosque and the killings of the missionaries, as “devilish, irrational and inhumane act.” (The Zamboanga Post)
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Saturday, April 13, 2019
Troops comb Sulu’s jungles, islands in Sayyaf hunt
SULU – Government troops continue their assault on Abu Sayyaf lairs where security forces have been combing the hinterlands and islands in the southern province of Sulu.
Just recently, soldiers killed 2 pro-ISIS militants, but three infantrymen were also wounded in the clashes in Bangkal village in Patikul town.
The military said one of those killed, known only by his alias Barak Ingog, allegedly helped carry out a twin suicide attacks by an Indonesian couple on a Catholic church in the capital town of Jolo in January this year that killed and wounded dozens of people, mostly civilians and soldiers. The other slain militant, Nasser Sawadjaan, was a nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadajaan.
The military did not say whether soldiers recovered the bodies of the slain militants, although it reported that troops recovered an M16 rifle in the area. It said Ingog was one of the facilitators of the bombing of the Cathedral in Jolo town on January 27 this year while Sawadjaan was a nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan.
There were no reports of civilian casualties, but Governor Toto Tan has deployed social workers and dispatched food aid since March to assist villagers who were affected by the military campaign. It was unknown whether the regional government had sent aid to Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the newly-created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (The Zamboanga Post)
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Friday, March 1, 2019
Sayyaf killed, 2 others captured in latest fighting in South
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Security forces clashed with pro-ISIS Abu Sayyaf militants and killing one gunman and capturing two others in southern Philippines, officials said Friday.
Philippine Navy photos released to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner show the vastness of Simisa Island off Sulu's Bangungui town where security forces raided and killed one Abu Sayyaf militant and captured 2 others.
Troops were still pursuing about a dozen more militants on Simisa Island off the town of Banguingui in Sulu province, according to Rear Admiral Rene Medina, regional chief of the Philippine Navy.
He said the operations against the Abu Sayyaf on the forested island started on February 24 and are continuing with various military units deployed to track down the fleeing militants.
Medina said soldiers recovered the body of the slain gunman, including an ISIS flag, cell phones, weapons and 5 motorboats the Abu Sayyaf is using in their terror activities.
“The neutralized ASG member remains unidentified. He was killed when elements of 62nd Marine Company, Force Recon Group encountered more or less 15 ASG under Salip Mura,” he said, adding, there were no military casualties in the fighting.
He said the two captured militants Abdu Mohammad and Nurlinda Sulaiman were being interrogated by the military in an effort to extract intelligence on the operation of the Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to ISIS.
“The intensive military operations and selfless dedications of government troops, particularly the Fleet-Marine Forces in Sulu, led to neutralization and apprehension of ASG members and the recovery of firearms and water crafts,” Medina said, praising troops for the successful campaign.
The military blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the spate of ransom kidnappings and for aiding foreign suicide bombers in attacking a Catholic church in Sulu’s capital town of Jolo in January that killed a huge number of civilians and soldiers. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Friday, February 22, 2019
How the new leader of the Islamic State group in Philippines went from peasant to chief
'The rapid rise of the mysterious new leader of Islamic State in the Philippines responsible for a spate of bombings and suicide attacks on Australia's doorstep.'
THE TOUTED new leader of the Islamic State group in the southern Philippines is an 'elderly villager' who rose up the ranks after dozens of high-ranking terrorists were wiped out.
Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, a Jolo-based commander of the brutal Abu Sayyaf extremist group, was installed as ISIS chief in a ceremony last year.
Sawadjaan is said to be responsible for the deadly attack on a Roman Catholic church in Jolo on January 27. The bombing, which killed 23 people and wounded about 100 others, and another suspected suicide bombing on nearby Basilan Island last July that officials said he masterminded, put Sawadjaan in the crosshairs of the U.S.-led global campaign against terrorism.
Not much is known about the new terrorist leader, but unlike many of his slain comrades, Sawadjaan, who was born to a peasant family, lacks the bravado, clan name or foreign training.
His reign also comes at a time when the Islamic State group's last enclave in eastern Syria is near its imminent downfall, signaling an end to the territorial rule of the self-declared 'caliphate' that once stretched across much of Syria and Iraq.
A recent U.S. Department of Defense report to Congress said it believed Sawadjaan was the 'acting emir,' or leader, of ISIS in the Philippines. It added that no actual leader is confirmed to have been designated by the main ISIS command in the Middle East as of late last year.
Philippine Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, however, said intelligence indicated that Sawadjaan, assumed position as leader last year.
Sawadjaan was previously a part of the Abu Sayyaf. Founded in the early 1990s as an offshoot of the decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion in the south, the group lost its commanders early in battle, sending it to a violent path of terrorism and criminality. It has been blacklisted, along with ISIS-linked local groups, as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Now in his 60s, Sawadjaan is a late bloomer in the terrorism underworld. His turn at the helm came after dozens of commanders, some initially aligned with the al-Qaida movement and later with ISIS, were killed or captured in decades of military offensives.
The biggest battle loss came in 2017 when several foreign and local commanders were killed as troops quelled a five-month siege by hundreds of militants in southern Marawi city. Among those killed was Isnilon Hapilon, a fierce Abu Sayyaf leader, who was the first ISIS-designated leader in the Philippines.
'I think Sawadjaan rose in rank because of seniority and there were no other leaders left. Almost everyone had been wiped out,' said Ano, a former military chief who oversaw the Marawi offensives and now supervises the national police as interior secretary.
Largely confined to Jolo's poverty-wracked mountain settlements all his life, Sawadjaan was not the well-connected and media-savvy strategist foreign groups would normally ally with to expand their reach. His rise shows how ISIS would latch on desperately to any militant who could provide a sanctuary and armed fighters as its last strongholds crumble in Syria, Ano said.
'For the ISIS to perpetuate their terror actions, they need a base, they need people. That's the role of Sawadjaan,' Ano told AP in an interview.
He estimated that Sawadjaan commands about 200 combatants and followers.
Sawadjaan was born to a peasant family in predominantly Muslim Jolo and only likely finished grade school.
Poverty drove him to work as a lumberjack in the jungles off Patikul town, where he married a woman from Tanum, the mountain village where he would base his Abu Sayyaf faction years later, a military officer, who has closely monitored the Abu Sayyaf, told the AP on condition of anonymity because of the nature of his work.
As an elderly villager, he served as a local mosque preacher, earning him the religious sobriquet 'hatib,' or sermon leader in Arabic, the officer said.
Sawadjaan first took up arms as a member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) the largest Muslim secessionist group in the south of the largely Roman Catholic country, which went on to sign a 1996 Muslim autonomy deal with the government, according to the officer.
His commander was Radulan Sahiron, the locally popular one-armed rebel who broke away from the MNLF in 1992. They joined the Abu Sayyaf, which had just been organized by a Libyan-educated local militant, said MNLF leader Yusop Jikiri.
Sawadjaan would later part ways with Sahiron, including over Sahiron's refusal to accomodate foreign militants for fear they're a magnet for military airstrikes, said Abu Jihad, a former militant who has met Sawadjaan and was captured by troops.
Abu Jihad described Sawadjaan as a folksy village elderly, who constantly lugged an M-16 rifle in his hinterland community but was friendly to visitors.
When fellow militants kidnapped a visiting American Muslim convert, Jeffrey Schilling, for ransom in August 2000, Sawadjaan stayed in the background but helped gather bamboos that were used to build huts for the militants and their hostage, Abu Jihad said.
'He can discuss local issues but didn't have any wisdom on jihad,' he told AP by phone, referring to the militants' concept of holy war. 'He's very accommodating. He's the type who will not be hard to sway.'
Sawadjaan collaborated with diverse outlaws, both Islamic extremists and brigands, Ano said.
He harbored the foreign couple, believed to be Indonesians, who detonated the bombs in the Jolo cathedral last month, as well as a militant believed to be Arab known as Abu Kathir al-Maghribi, who died in the van blast that also killed 10 government militiamen and villagers in Basilan last year, Ano added.
A video obtained by police officials showed al-Maghribi in Sawadjaan's camp last year before the foreign militant reportedly carried out the suicide attack in Basilan. The video was seen by The AP.
His daughter married a Malaysian militant known as Amin Baco, who has ISIS connections. His younger brother, Asman, also belonged to the Abu Sayyaf, according to a confidential police profile of Sawadjaan.
Sawadjaan and his men would later be implicated in the kidnappings of a German couple, two Canadian men, Schilling and a Jordanian journalist, Baker Atyani. Most were ransomed off or escaped but the Canadian men were separately beheaded on video by one of Sawadjaan's militant nephews, Ben Yadah, according to military and police officials.
In the more than a year of jungle captivity under Sawadjaan's group starting in June 2012, Atyani got a deep insight into the Abu Sayyaf and the man who sheltered other militants from Indonesia and Malaysia and fostered banditry in the blurry underworld of Islamic extremism in the volatile south. Atyani is believed to have been freed in exchange for ransom.
'It's all money-driven, it's not an ideology,' Atyani said. 'However, he has sympathy for those who are allegedly fighting for a cause.' (AP)
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Sayyafs kill soldier, 3 more wounded in Philippine clash
SULU – Abu Sayyaf militants killed a government soldier and wounded 3 more in a firefight Thursday in the southern Philippine town of Patikul.
The fighting lasted over 20 minutes, but there was no immediate report of enemy casualties. At least 30 militants clashed with troops in Igasan village where security forces have been pursuing the pro-ISIS militants.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command did not issue any press release on the latest fighting and had not given reports since the deadly twin suicide bombings on the cathedral in Jolo town on January 27.
President Duterte ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Thursday, February 7, 2019
Sayyaf linked to Sabah kidnappings slain in Tawi-Tawi
ZAMBOANGA CITY - An Abu Sayyaf militant linked to the spate of ransom kidnappings in Sabah in Malaysia and Philippines was killed in a shootout with security forces at a checkpoint in the southern Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi, officials said Thursday.
Officials said Shaifful Julaili engaged troops in a firefight while trying to flee the checkpoint in Lapid-Lapid village in the capital town of Bongao. There was no report of casualties on the side of security forces.
"The Abu Sayyaf, Shaifful Jalaili, violently escaped the checkpoint and fired at government troops which prompted them to retaliate and killed him," said Rear Adminral Rene Medina, chief of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao. He said the Jalaili was involved in the series of kidnapping activities in Sulu Sea, particularly in the boundaries of Tawi-Tawi and Sabah.
Medina said the slain militant was also implicated in the recent kidnappings of Indonesian fishermen off Sabah, but it was not immediately known whether Jalaili and his pro-ISIS group is planning to launch new kidnappings in the area. Security forces have put up roadblocks and checkpoints in many areas in Tawi-Tawi as part of an intensified campaign against lawlessness.
Troops are battling Abu Sayyaf fighters in the neighboring province of Sulu where a pair of suicide bombers attacked a cathedral in the capital town of Jolo on January 27 that killed at least 2 dozen people and injured over 100 more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings and President Rodrigo Duterte, quoting intelligence reports, said an Indonesian couple was behind the attacks.
Five local men linked by authorities to the twin attacks have surrendered recently to deny the accusations against them, but police filed criminal charges against them after government prosecutors said they have "more than enough" evidence to indict the suspects. But the leader of the Abu Sayyaf, Hajan Sawadjaan, who is also the emir of ISIS inn the Philippines, and over a dozen other militants also tied to the attacks, are still at-large and being hunted down by thousands of soldiers and police commandos.
Duterte, who inspected the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral a day after the bombings, ordered security forces to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders pledged allegiance with the Islamic State, and vowed to fight for the establishment of a caliphate in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Monday, February 4, 2019
OPINYON: Kahuyang ug pagkawalay pagtagad moimbita og agresyon ni Jun Ledesma
ANG MAKAMATAY nga pagboto sa bomba sa sulod sa Mt Carmel Cathedral sa Jolo ningbuhi og usab sa mga dugoon ug makalilisang nga mga hulagway sa parehas kapintas nga pagpaboto og bomba sa San Pedro Cathedral sa Davao City. Kining patraydor ug mangtas nga ataki labi na sa usa ka balay alampoanan gikondenar sa mga relihiyon nga Kristiyano ug Islam ug ginahimo lamang sa mga tawong di normal ang pagtuo ug pangutok. Ang ataki sa katedral sa San Pedro ug sa Mt Carmel nahitabo panahon sa martial law.
Ang insidente sa Davao nahitabo sa panahon ni Marcos ug karon anaa na sab ning ataki sa simbahan sa Jolo. Ang trahedya sa Davao nahitabo sa panahon nga hapit na matapos ang martial law. Sa akong pangagpas, niining duha ka panghitabo, ang pag-implementar sa balaod militar dili hugot ug ang mga lakang sa seguridad kulang. Wa itago ni Pres. Rodrigo Duterte ang grabe niyang kasuko sa pagpamomba nga kaduha pa gyud gihimo, sa sulod ug sa gawas sa simbahan.
Ang nahitabo sa Jolo dapat nga maghatag og bug-at nga leksyon sa atong mga magbalantay sa balaod ug kalinaw. Ako mismo personal nga nakaobserbar sa mapasagaron nga kinaiya sa mga elemento sa kapulisan nga gitahasan sa pagbantay sa kahusay ug kalinaw sa Redemptorist Church sa Davao. Imbes moposte sila sa mga estratehikong lugar o maglakawlakaw nga usa-usa o paris-paris aron sa pag-obserbar sa palibot sa simbahan, tua hinoon sila nagpunsisok sa usa lamang ka suok nga landong ug nagsige og tabi o nagsige og text.
Sa akong pangagpas, ang mga bomba nga gipaboto sa Jolo lagmit dako kaayo kun ibasi sa gidaghanon sa mga namatay ug naangol ug kadaot nga nahimo. Kun hugot pa ang seguridad ang bomba di unta makasulod sa simbahan.
Kining tanan nangagi na. Human og lubong sa mga nangamatay dapat nga magpadayon ta og atiman sa mga samaron. Ang presidente ning-order og mas taas nga lebel sa alerto sa Jolo ug way hunong nga opensiba batok sa mga terorista mga mora og libre kaayo og panlihok, kidnap diri, kidnap didto, ma Kristiyano man o ma Muslim, langyaw o lokal, lalaki o babaye, bata man o hamtong. Ang kapulisan ug ang kasundalohan di angay nga mag-usik-usik sa ilang panahon sa paghunahuna ug pag-analisa kun ang mga naghimo og dautan mga ISIS o Abu Sayyaf, may motibo ba nga politikanhon o ataki sa terorismo. Mangtas ni nga pagpamatay ug kun kinsa man ang naghimo niini kinahanglan nga dili lung-an og lutos hangtud sa tumoy sa kalibutan ug puohon.
Angay nga ang pinakaugdang nga kusog sa pwersa sa gobyerno mao ang gamiton sa pagkombati ug pagdugmok niining maong han-ay sa mga kriminal kay ang kahuyang ug pagkawalay pagtagad moimbita og agresyon. Hunong mo sa trabaho nga part-time security guard sa mga kompaniya sa mina sa Tawi-Tawi. Dili ni mao ang katungdanan nga inyong gipanumpaan.
Naratipika na sa katawhan ang Bangsamoro Organic Law. Nagpakita kini sa pagka sinsero sa administrasyong Duterte sa pagtuman sa iyang gisaad nga paghatag og dugay na nga ginatinguha nga otonomiya sa parte nga gitawag niadto og autonomous region sa Muslim Mindanao. Turno na ni karon sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa pagdemonstrar sa iyang sinseridad sa pagtabang sa gobyerno sa paglutos sa mga namomba. Samtang ang Moro National Liberation Front, kinsang lider si Nur Misuari, lupig pay igsoon ni Presidente Duterte, ginatawagan sab.
Sinati kaayo nimo ang kada pulgada sa mga pulo ug dagat nga sakop sa mga probinsya sa Sulu ug Tawi-Tawi. Ning-abot na ang panahon nga angay nimong ipakita nga angay ka sa gihatag nga pagsalig gikan sa imong suod kaayo nga higala. Tabangi siya aron mapuo na ang tanang daotan nga naa nagtago sa imong rehiyon kay wa nay mas hayag pa nga panahon ug oportunidad kay sa karon sa pagpursige sa kalihokan nga pagpalambo sa imong lugar ug sa imong katawhan. (Jun Ledesma)
Ang insidente sa Davao nahitabo sa panahon ni Marcos ug karon anaa na sab ning ataki sa simbahan sa Jolo. Ang trahedya sa Davao nahitabo sa panahon nga hapit na matapos ang martial law. Sa akong pangagpas, niining duha ka panghitabo, ang pag-implementar sa balaod militar dili hugot ug ang mga lakang sa seguridad kulang. Wa itago ni Pres. Rodrigo Duterte ang grabe niyang kasuko sa pagpamomba nga kaduha pa gyud gihimo, sa sulod ug sa gawas sa simbahan.
Ang nahitabo sa Jolo dapat nga maghatag og bug-at nga leksyon sa atong mga magbalantay sa balaod ug kalinaw. Ako mismo personal nga nakaobserbar sa mapasagaron nga kinaiya sa mga elemento sa kapulisan nga gitahasan sa pagbantay sa kahusay ug kalinaw sa Redemptorist Church sa Davao. Imbes moposte sila sa mga estratehikong lugar o maglakawlakaw nga usa-usa o paris-paris aron sa pag-obserbar sa palibot sa simbahan, tua hinoon sila nagpunsisok sa usa lamang ka suok nga landong ug nagsige og tabi o nagsige og text.
Sa akong pangagpas, ang mga bomba nga gipaboto sa Jolo lagmit dako kaayo kun ibasi sa gidaghanon sa mga namatay ug naangol ug kadaot nga nahimo. Kun hugot pa ang seguridad ang bomba di unta makasulod sa simbahan.
Kining tanan nangagi na. Human og lubong sa mga nangamatay dapat nga magpadayon ta og atiman sa mga samaron. Ang presidente ning-order og mas taas nga lebel sa alerto sa Jolo ug way hunong nga opensiba batok sa mga terorista mga mora og libre kaayo og panlihok, kidnap diri, kidnap didto, ma Kristiyano man o ma Muslim, langyaw o lokal, lalaki o babaye, bata man o hamtong. Ang kapulisan ug ang kasundalohan di angay nga mag-usik-usik sa ilang panahon sa paghunahuna ug pag-analisa kun ang mga naghimo og dautan mga ISIS o Abu Sayyaf, may motibo ba nga politikanhon o ataki sa terorismo. Mangtas ni nga pagpamatay ug kun kinsa man ang naghimo niini kinahanglan nga dili lung-an og lutos hangtud sa tumoy sa kalibutan ug puohon.
Angay nga ang pinakaugdang nga kusog sa pwersa sa gobyerno mao ang gamiton sa pagkombati ug pagdugmok niining maong han-ay sa mga kriminal kay ang kahuyang ug pagkawalay pagtagad moimbita og agresyon. Hunong mo sa trabaho nga part-time security guard sa mga kompaniya sa mina sa Tawi-Tawi. Dili ni mao ang katungdanan nga inyong gipanumpaan.
Naratipika na sa katawhan ang Bangsamoro Organic Law. Nagpakita kini sa pagka sinsero sa administrasyong Duterte sa pagtuman sa iyang gisaad nga paghatag og dugay na nga ginatinguha nga otonomiya sa parte nga gitawag niadto og autonomous region sa Muslim Mindanao. Turno na ni karon sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa pagdemonstrar sa iyang sinseridad sa pagtabang sa gobyerno sa paglutos sa mga namomba. Samtang ang Moro National Liberation Front, kinsang lider si Nur Misuari, lupig pay igsoon ni Presidente Duterte, ginatawagan sab.
Sinati kaayo nimo ang kada pulgada sa mga pulo ug dagat nga sakop sa mga probinsya sa Sulu ug Tawi-Tawi. Ning-abot na ang panahon nga angay nimong ipakita nga angay ka sa gihatag nga pagsalig gikan sa imong suod kaayo nga higala. Tabangi siya aron mapuo na ang tanang daotan nga naa nagtago sa imong rehiyon kay wa nay mas hayag pa nga panahon ug oportunidad kay sa karon sa pagpursige sa kalihokan nga pagpalambo sa imong lugar ug sa imong katawhan. (Jun Ledesma)
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5 Sayyafs yield, face criminal charges over Jolo cathedral bombings
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police are set to file criminal charges against 5 suspected Abu Sayyaf militants being linked to the twin suicide bombings of a cathedral in the southern Philippine province of Sulu following their surrender to security forces sent to hunt them down.
National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said among those who surrendered is Kammah Pae, who was among those who coordinated the January 27 deadly bombings of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town that killed and wounded dozens of people.
He identified the four other suspects as Salit Alih and Albaji Kisae Gadjali, Rajan Bakil Gadjali and Kaisar Bakil Gadjali.
“The five surrendered due to the massive hot pursuit operations by troops from the Patikul Municipal Police Station, 52nd Special Action Company, Sulu Provincial Mobile Force Company, 14th Regional Mobile Force Battalion, CIDG9, RIU9, and 35th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army,” Albayalde said in a news conference Monday.
He said security forces also destroyed an improvised explosive and other bomb components recovered from Pae’s house in Patikul town. “During panelling at the house of Kammah, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team) / K9 and SOCO (Scenes of Crime Officer) discovered assembled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and IED components which were subsequently disrupted,” he said.
Patikul is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS.
Albayalde said Pae’s group is facing charges of multiple murders and multiple frustrated murders. And security forces are still pursuing Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, believed to be the chief architect in the cathedral bombings, and over a dozen other militants.
He said Sawadjaan was a key player in the daring attacks and elaborated on the timeline and sequence of events leading to bombings which were carried out by an Indonesian couple.
“Beginning on January 8, 2019, a certain Muksin and Usman attempted to assemble an IED in Barangay Latih in Patikul, but later abandoned the effort. And four days later, Sawadjaan met with Usman and Barak in Sitio Bastiong in Patikul and gave them funds for the bombing mission. On January 21, 2019, an unidentified Asian couple, believed to be holed in Lampinigan Island (in Basilan province) for a few days, sailed to Jolo on January 24 by pump boat. Upon arrival in Jolo, the couple boarded a tricycle to Caltex Tiam at 7:10 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., the couple were met by suspects Papong, Awag and Radjan at Caltex Tiam and all of them boarded Awag’s jeepney along with five minor boys, who later disembarked along the way.”
“Upon reaching Usaw in Barangay Langhub in Patikul near the house of Usman, the group was joined by Kammah, Barak, Makrim and Usman and later proceeded Sitio Bastiong in Barangay Langub. The couple alighted at Bastiong and walked towards the forested area escorted by Kamah and Barak where they met Sawadjaan to further plan the bombing. Also present during the planning were Barak, Kammah, Awag, Usman, Makrim, Isal, Radjan and Papong. At 5:00 p.m. on January 26, the couple, each toting black trolley bags were escorted to Barangay Latih in Patikul by Usman, Barak and nine other unidentified armed men where the couple boarded Awag’s jeepney to Jolo. Upon reaching Jolo at 5:10 p.m., the couple disembarked in front of Suleco (Sulu Electric Cooperative) Building to an undisclosed location within Jolo. At 8:28 a.m. the following morning, it is believed that the Indonesian woman detonated the 1st IED inside the Jolo cathedral while the man detonated the 2nd IED at the church entrance seconds later,” Albayalde explained.
He said from bomb fragments and components recovered at the church, forensic technicians have reconstructed the two detonated IEDs made from common GI (Galvanized Iron) pipes that served as casing that contained possibly ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) compound as primary explosive charge and possibly boosted by secondary high explosives possibly PETN, TNT or RDX (subject to further laboratory analysis) that characterized the shattering effect of the explosions.
PETN is short for Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a major ingredient of Semtex or general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX (Royal Demolition Explosive) which is cyclotonite, a powerful explosive, and PETN - it is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. TNT is also known as trinitrotoluene.
“This particular type of IED, by design, is identified with the Abu Sayyaf group as nine similar IEDs have been involved in at least five recent incidents in Basilan and Sulu in 2016 and 2017,” Albayalde said, citing an attack in Jolo town on March 12, 2017.
He said 2 similar IEDs were also detonated by the Abu Sayyaf in Lamitan City in Basilan on March 19 and 20, 2017, while 4 more similar IEDs were defused by the military in Al-barca town also in Basilan on May 20, 2016. “The signature of the Abu Sayyaf group, therefore, is patently present in the IED used in this latest terror attack in Jolo. The investigation of the Jolo cathedral explosion is far from over as there are more pieces of evidence that need to be carefully examined to test its consistency with other facts and circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.
Security forces were still pursuing over 100 militants who broke into smaller groups in Sulu’s hinterlands. Over 2 dozen soldiers had been killed and wounded in fighting Abu Sayyaf since the deadly cathedral bombings. Five soldiers had been confirmed dead and nearly two dozen more injured in clashes in Patikul town. The fighting triggered an exodus of civilians in villages there.
There had been no reports of civilian casualties, but the Joint Task Force Sulu said they have received intelligence reports that a foreign militant, who goes by his nom de guerre Abu Black, was killed in the fighting, but his nationality remains unknown.
Another Abu Sayyaf commander, Idang Susukan, was also wounded in the clashes and lost his finger, the report added.
The regional military headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, did not release any information about the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf. But on Sunday, sealed caskets of slain soldiers were spotted being transported by soldiers to the Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said among those who surrendered is Kammah Pae, who was among those who coordinated the January 27 deadly bombings of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town that killed and wounded dozens of people.
He identified the four other suspects as Salit Alih and Albaji Kisae Gadjali, Rajan Bakil Gadjali and Kaisar Bakil Gadjali.
“The five surrendered due to the massive hot pursuit operations by troops from the Patikul Municipal Police Station, 52nd Special Action Company, Sulu Provincial Mobile Force Company, 14th Regional Mobile Force Battalion, CIDG9, RIU9, and 35th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army,” Albayalde said in a news conference Monday.
He said security forces also destroyed an improvised explosive and other bomb components recovered from Pae’s house in Patikul town. “During panelling at the house of Kammah, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team) / K9 and SOCO (Scenes of Crime Officer) discovered assembled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and IED components which were subsequently disrupted,” he said.
Patikul is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS.
Albayalde said Pae’s group is facing charges of multiple murders and multiple frustrated murders. And security forces are still pursuing Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, believed to be the chief architect in the cathedral bombings, and over a dozen other militants.
Timeline
“Beginning on January 8, 2019, a certain Muksin and Usman attempted to assemble an IED in Barangay Latih in Patikul, but later abandoned the effort. And four days later, Sawadjaan met with Usman and Barak in Sitio Bastiong in Patikul and gave them funds for the bombing mission. On January 21, 2019, an unidentified Asian couple, believed to be holed in Lampinigan Island (in Basilan province) for a few days, sailed to Jolo on January 24 by pump boat. Upon arrival in Jolo, the couple boarded a tricycle to Caltex Tiam at 7:10 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., the couple were met by suspects Papong, Awag and Radjan at Caltex Tiam and all of them boarded Awag’s jeepney along with five minor boys, who later disembarked along the way.”
“Upon reaching Usaw in Barangay Langhub in Patikul near the house of Usman, the group was joined by Kammah, Barak, Makrim and Usman and later proceeded Sitio Bastiong in Barangay Langub. The couple alighted at Bastiong and walked towards the forested area escorted by Kamah and Barak where they met Sawadjaan to further plan the bombing. Also present during the planning were Barak, Kammah, Awag, Usman, Makrim, Isal, Radjan and Papong. At 5:00 p.m. on January 26, the couple, each toting black trolley bags were escorted to Barangay Latih in Patikul by Usman, Barak and nine other unidentified armed men where the couple boarded Awag’s jeepney to Jolo. Upon reaching Jolo at 5:10 p.m., the couple disembarked in front of Suleco (Sulu Electric Cooperative) Building to an undisclosed location within Jolo. At 8:28 a.m. the following morning, it is believed that the Indonesian woman detonated the 1st IED inside the Jolo cathedral while the man detonated the 2nd IED at the church entrance seconds later,” Albayalde explained.
Explosives
PETN is short for Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a major ingredient of Semtex or general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX (Royal Demolition Explosive) which is cyclotonite, a powerful explosive, and PETN - it is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. TNT is also known as trinitrotoluene.
“This particular type of IED, by design, is identified with the Abu Sayyaf group as nine similar IEDs have been involved in at least five recent incidents in Basilan and Sulu in 2016 and 2017,” Albayalde said, citing an attack in Jolo town on March 12, 2017.
He said 2 similar IEDs were also detonated by the Abu Sayyaf in Lamitan City in Basilan on March 19 and 20, 2017, while 4 more similar IEDs were defused by the military in Al-barca town also in Basilan on May 20, 2016. “The signature of the Abu Sayyaf group, therefore, is patently present in the IED used in this latest terror attack in Jolo. The investigation of the Jolo cathedral explosion is far from over as there are more pieces of evidence that need to be carefully examined to test its consistency with other facts and circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.
Operations
There had been no reports of civilian casualties, but the Joint Task Force Sulu said they have received intelligence reports that a foreign militant, who goes by his nom de guerre Abu Black, was killed in the fighting, but his nationality remains unknown.
Another Abu Sayyaf commander, Idang Susukan, was also wounded in the clashes and lost his finger, the report added.
The regional military headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, did not release any information about the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf. But on Sunday, sealed caskets of slain soldiers were spotted being transported by soldiers to the Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Saturday, February 2, 2019
Sulu fighting leaves 10 military casualties
SULU – At least 10 soldiers were killed and wounded in fierce fighting Saturday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where security forces mounted fresh offensives against the pro-ISIS group blamed for the recent cathedral bombing in Jolo town.
CNN Philippines, quoting reports from the Joint Task Force later on the day, said 5 soldiers died and five more wounded in clashes in the village of Kabbon Takas in Patikul town.
There were reports that a foreign militant, who goes by his nom de guerre Abu Black, was killed in the fighting, but his nationality remains unknown. Another Abu Sayyaf commander, Idang Susukan, was also wounded in the clashes and lost his finger, according to military intelligence.
The regional military headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, did not release reports of military casualties or fighting in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The CNN report also quoted Joint Task Force Sulu spokesman Lt. Col. Gerald Monfort as saying that members of the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion engaged in an intense firefight with the Abu Sayyaf under Hajan Sawadjaan.
“Troops struggled to seize the Abu Sayyaf camp which was located on high ground, giving the enemy the advantage to shoot at pursuing soldiers. Intense yung labanan at malapitan kasi pinipilit ng ating mga tropang makuha ang high ground,” he said, adding, the camp was eventually captured by soldiers.
Monfort said bad weather in the area prevented military reinforcement to help soldiers battled the militants.
The offensives were ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte following January 27 suicide bombings by an Indonesian couple of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral that killed 21 people and left over 100 others wounded. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Thursday, January 31, 2019
Victims of Jolo cathedral bombings get aid from ARMM
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) visited 36 of the dozens of wounded victims of the twin bombings of Sulu's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral to provide both moral support and cash assistance of P20,000 for their medical needs.
The survivors, who were transferred here, are undergoing treatment at the Zamboanga City Medical Hospital. DSWD ARMM Secretary Laisa Alamia said their staffs in Sulu are also ready to assist the victims and their families.
According to the ARMM HEART (Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team), the regional government released some of P320,000 in cash and distributed the money to the victims in the hospital.
A total of P400,000 was earmarked as initial assistance for the people affected by the bombings, and will be distributed equally among the blast survivors and the families of the people killed by the attacks. And cash assistance of P500,000 will also be given to the parish for the renovation or repair of the cathedral.
While military operations against the Abu Sayyaf continue in Sulu, villagers from Latih and Bungkaong in Patikul town were also assisted by DSWD ARMM by distributing relief goods to those who fled their homes, according to Alamia.
"So far, the DSWD ARMM has monitored around 62 families displaced, from Barangay Bungkaong and other barangays to Barangay Latih in Patikul. DSWD ARMM in Sulu started distributing relief goods to the IDPs or internally displaced persons. The number of IDPs is expected to increase in the coming days. The DSWD ARMM will continue to provide assistance to the IDPs until they can safely return to their homes," she said. (Bureau of Public Information)
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Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Sayyaf ransom used to fund Jolo cathedral bombings
SULU – A former fighter of the Indonesian militant group, Jemaah Islamiya, said the deadly twin bombings on a cathedral in the southern Filipino town of Jolo was largely funded by ransom paid to free an Indonesian hostage of the pro-ISIS Abu Sayyaf group.
Abdullah Sandakan, who is based in Sabah, told BenarNews that the attack on the church on January 27 was planned by the Abu Sayyaf.
“This attack was on their calendar. This is done by the pro-Islamic State faction of ASG and they have been planning it for quite some time. They were just waiting for the ransom money, which they used for the bombing. Twelve days is more than enough time for them to source and buy the explosives, prepare their people to carry out the bombing,” he said.
The ex-JI militant was referring to Indonesian fishing boat captain Samsul Sanguni, who was released by the Abu Sayyaf on January 15 in Sulu province.
Sanguni along with another Indonesian fisherman, Usman Yusuf, were kidnapped at sea near Gaya Island in Sabah’s Semporna town and brought to Sulu. The 35-year old Yusuf was freed in December in Bual village in the town of Luuk. The release of Yusuf came after the Chief of the Indonesian Consul-General’s Office in Sabah, Sulistijo Djati Ismojo, appealed to Malaysia to resolve the kidnapping of its citizens.
Malaysian media reported that the Abu Sayyaf had demanded P20 million from Sanguni’s employer and militants threatened to kill him if ransom is not paid. In a video sent by militants to his family, Sanguni appealed to his employer to save him from death. The clip shows Sanguni - both hands tied behind his back - inside a freshly dug hole in a forested area and guarded by heavily armed militants as he cried and pleaded for help.
Sandakan said part of the ransom money paid to the Abu Sayyaf was also used to pay villagers who sheltered the militants. “The money is given to the villagers for sheltering them and also to win them over,” he said, warning that more kidnappings would take place around the waters of eastern Sabah and the Sulu Sea to raise funds for terror attacks and other activities.
“The kidnappings will not stop and neither will the bombings. The success of the Jolo bombing may even encourage them to try to carry out bombings in Manila,” he warned.
Jemaah Islamiya, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, was blamed for Indonesia’s deadliest terrorist attack, the Bali bombings that killed 202 people 17 years ago.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the cathedral attack, saying, two suicide bombers carried out the deadly mission. This was also confirmed by President Rodrigo Duterte, who cited military and other intelligence reports. He said the bombers were a man and woman, probably Indonesian couple.
In September last year, the Abu Sayyaf released four Indonesian hostages to Nur Misuari, chieftain of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and his wife Tarhata, and a former Indonesian army general Kivlan Zein.
But despite the anti-terror campaign in Sabah, Abu Sayyaf militants still managed to kidnap three more Indonesian fishing crew members off Sabah and had been taken to Sulu, Malaysian media reported.
It said the trio - Heri Ardiansyah, 19; Jari Abdullah, and Hariadin, 45, were working for a fishing company in Sandakan town and had been seized by 7 gunmen on the night of December 5 near Pegasus Reef – an area where four armed men also attacked a tugboat two days later and wounded an Indonesian crew in what police said was a failed abduction.
Sabah police, citing intelligence sources, said identified the kidnappers as Abu Sayyaf commanders Al Mujir Yadah and Hajan Sawadjaan, who teamed up with another militant commander, Indang Susukan. The group was tagged as behind the spate of ransom kidnappings in Sabah waters and attacks on fishing boats there.
The militants have been targeting Indonesian fishermen because their employers and Jakarta are paying ransoms to the Abu Sayyaf which it uses to purchase weapons, recruit members and to finance kidnappings and terror attacks in the country. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding nearly a dozen foreign and local hostages in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Abdullah Sandakan, who is based in Sabah, told BenarNews that the attack on the church on January 27 was planned by the Abu Sayyaf.
“This attack was on their calendar. This is done by the pro-Islamic State faction of ASG and they have been planning it for quite some time. They were just waiting for the ransom money, which they used for the bombing. Twelve days is more than enough time for them to source and buy the explosives, prepare their people to carry out the bombing,” he said.
The ex-JI militant was referring to Indonesian fishing boat captain Samsul Sanguni, who was released by the Abu Sayyaf on January 15 in Sulu province.
Sanguni along with another Indonesian fisherman, Usman Yusuf, were kidnapped at sea near Gaya Island in Sabah’s Semporna town and brought to Sulu. The 35-year old Yusuf was freed in December in Bual village in the town of Luuk. The release of Yusuf came after the Chief of the Indonesian Consul-General’s Office in Sabah, Sulistijo Djati Ismojo, appealed to Malaysia to resolve the kidnapping of its citizens.
Malaysian media reported that the Abu Sayyaf had demanded P20 million from Sanguni’s employer and militants threatened to kill him if ransom is not paid. In a video sent by militants to his family, Sanguni appealed to his employer to save him from death. The clip shows Sanguni - both hands tied behind his back - inside a freshly dug hole in a forested area and guarded by heavily armed militants as he cried and pleaded for help.
Sandakan said part of the ransom money paid to the Abu Sayyaf was also used to pay villagers who sheltered the militants. “The money is given to the villagers for sheltering them and also to win them over,” he said, warning that more kidnappings would take place around the waters of eastern Sabah and the Sulu Sea to raise funds for terror attacks and other activities.
“The kidnappings will not stop and neither will the bombings. The success of the Jolo bombing may even encourage them to try to carry out bombings in Manila,” he warned.
Jemaah Islamiya, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda, was blamed for Indonesia’s deadliest terrorist attack, the Bali bombings that killed 202 people 17 years ago.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the cathedral attack, saying, two suicide bombers carried out the deadly mission. This was also confirmed by President Rodrigo Duterte, who cited military and other intelligence reports. He said the bombers were a man and woman, probably Indonesian couple.
In September last year, the Abu Sayyaf released four Indonesian hostages to Nur Misuari, chieftain of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and his wife Tarhata, and a former Indonesian army general Kivlan Zein.
But despite the anti-terror campaign in Sabah, Abu Sayyaf militants still managed to kidnap three more Indonesian fishing crew members off Sabah and had been taken to Sulu, Malaysian media reported.
It said the trio - Heri Ardiansyah, 19; Jari Abdullah, and Hariadin, 45, were working for a fishing company in Sandakan town and had been seized by 7 gunmen on the night of December 5 near Pegasus Reef – an area where four armed men also attacked a tugboat two days later and wounded an Indonesian crew in what police said was a failed abduction.
Sabah police, citing intelligence sources, said identified the kidnappers as Abu Sayyaf commanders Al Mujir Yadah and Hajan Sawadjaan, who teamed up with another militant commander, Indang Susukan. The group was tagged as behind the spate of ransom kidnappings in Sabah waters and attacks on fishing boats there.
The militants have been targeting Indonesian fishermen because their employers and Jakarta are paying ransoms to the Abu Sayyaf which it uses to purchase weapons, recruit members and to finance kidnappings and terror attacks in the country. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding nearly a dozen foreign and local hostages in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Zambo mosque attacked, 2 missionaries killed
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two unidentified men attacked a local mosque, exploding a fragmentation grenade before dawn Wednesday that killed 2 Islamic missionaries or Tablighi Jamaat in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
Five other missionaries were wounded in the attack on Kamalhaldikan Mosque. At least 11 people were sleeping at the mosque when the attack occurred, killing Sattal Bato, 47, and Rex Habil, 46.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the desecration of the mosque, but the attack drew condemnation from Muslim groups and local leaders.
The attack occurred 3 days after a pair of ISIS bombers blew themselves up at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province that left dozens of casualties. It was not immediately known whether the attack was connected to the suicide bombings or perpetrated by rival groups.
Mayor Beng Climaco condemned the attack on the mosque and called for sobriety and vigilance. Climaco ordered the police to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, calling it a “dastardly act,” as she allayed fears the attack is a consequence of a tension between Muslims and Christians.
“We call on the people to remain sober but vigilant and let us not allow terrorists to divide the good relationship between Muslims and Christians because we remain united, practice tolerance and live together in peace,” she said.
Governor Mujiv Hataman, of the Muslim autonomous region, and the influential Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula, also strongly condemned the attack. Hataman confirmed that 2 missionaries were killed and 5 others wounded in the attack.
“There is no redeeming such blasphemous murder. It is the highest form of cowardice and obscenity to attack people who are at prayer. We call on the authorities to act with alacrity and thoroughness as they investigate this latest attack, and identify and prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” said Hataman.
“The goal of terrorism is to sow fear and confusion. We should not allow this to happen. We call on all people of faith - whatever their chosen faith is - to come together in prayer for peace. We must stand united against the terrorists who would divide us and, thus, destroy all that we are working to build and establish in our communities,” he added.
Muslim scholars, in a strong worded statement, called the attack on the mosque and the killings of the missioanaries, as “devilish, irrational and inhumane act.”
“The Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula strongly condemns this devilish, irrational and inhumane act. We call upon the Zamboangueños to be calm, yet vigilant with current bombing incident in Masjid. We share the grief of the families who lost their loved ones and sincerely extend our condolences to them in the most comforting manner that a human being may,” it said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Five other missionaries were wounded in the attack on Kamalhaldikan Mosque. At least 11 people were sleeping at the mosque when the attack occurred, killing Sattal Bato, 47, and Rex Habil, 46.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the desecration of the mosque, but the attack drew condemnation from Muslim groups and local leaders.
The attack occurred 3 days after a pair of ISIS bombers blew themselves up at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province that left dozens of casualties. It was not immediately known whether the attack was connected to the suicide bombings or perpetrated by rival groups.
Mayor Beng Climaco condemned the attack on the mosque and called for sobriety and vigilance. Climaco ordered the police to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, calling it a “dastardly act,” as she allayed fears the attack is a consequence of a tension between Muslims and Christians.
“We call on the people to remain sober but vigilant and let us not allow terrorists to divide the good relationship between Muslims and Christians because we remain united, practice tolerance and live together in peace,” she said.
Governor Mujiv Hataman, of the Muslim autonomous region, and the influential Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula, also strongly condemned the attack. Hataman confirmed that 2 missionaries were killed and 5 others wounded in the attack.
“There is no redeeming such blasphemous murder. It is the highest form of cowardice and obscenity to attack people who are at prayer. We call on the authorities to act with alacrity and thoroughness as they investigate this latest attack, and identify and prosecute the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law,” said Hataman.
“The goal of terrorism is to sow fear and confusion. We should not allow this to happen. We call on all people of faith - whatever their chosen faith is - to come together in prayer for peace. We must stand united against the terrorists who would divide us and, thus, destroy all that we are working to build and establish in our communities,” he added.
Muslim scholars, in a strong worded statement, called the attack on the mosque and the killings of the missioanaries, as “devilish, irrational and inhumane act.”
“The Ulama Council of Zamboanga Peninsula strongly condemns this devilish, irrational and inhumane act. We call upon the Zamboangueños to be calm, yet vigilant with current bombing incident in Masjid. We share the grief of the families who lost their loved ones and sincerely extend our condolences to them in the most comforting manner that a human being may,” it said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019
OPINION: Weakness and apathy invite aggression by Jun Ledesma
THE DEADLY blast in Jolo of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral ushered gory memories of similar vicious bombing incidents of San Pedro Cathedral in Davao City. These dastardly and bestial attacks especially on the house of worship are condemned by both Christian and Islamic religions and can only be carried out by extremists. The first attack on the San Pedro Cathedral and the Mt Carmel were carried out under the aegis of martial law. The Davao incident was during Marcos and now this assault on The church in Jolo. The Davao tragedy happened in the waning days of martial law regime. I must say that in both incidents the enforcement of martial rule is not as tight and the security measures wanting. Pres. Rodrigo Duterte has not hide his anger on how the twin blasts were carried in and out of the church.
What happened in Jolo should give an expensive lesson to our law enforcers. I have personally witnessed the lackadaisical attitude of police elements that are supposed to keep the security at the Redemptorist Church in Davao. Instead of posting themselves in one or two in strategic parts or moving around the church, they are all clustered in one corner where it is shaded either rumor mongering or texting.
The homemade bomb used in Jolo must be something big considering the extent of the damage and the number of people killed and maimed. If the security was tight enough the bombs could not have been brought inside the church.
All these are beyond us now. After we bury the dead we should continue to care for the wounded. The president has ordered a stand down in Jolo and an all-out-offensive against the terrorists that seemed to move around freely, kidnapping people be they Christians or Muslims, foreigners or locals, men or women, children or adults. Police and military should not waste their time thinking and analyzing whether the perpetrators were ISIS or Abu Sayyafs, politically motivated or terrorist attack. It is plain carnage and whoever carried this out must be pursued to the ends of the earth and annihilated. The supremacy and strength of the government forces against these criminals must prevail because weakness and apathy invite aggression. Stop moonlighting as security guards of mining firms in Tawi-Tawi. That is not your sworn duty.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law had been ratified. It is a demonstration of sincerity of the Duterte administration in fulfilling the desired autonomy in what was once the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao. It is now the turn of The Moro Islamic Liberation Front to demonstrate its sincerity to assist the government in hunting down the perpetrators. As to the Moro National Liberation Front, whose leader Nur Misuari, is a veritable brother to President Duterte, you know every inch of the ground of the island provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the time has come to prove you are worthy of your friend trust and confidence. Join hands with him to end once and for all the evil that lurks in your region for there is no better time than now to make your land and your people prosper. (Jun Ledesma)
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What happened in Jolo should give an expensive lesson to our law enforcers. I have personally witnessed the lackadaisical attitude of police elements that are supposed to keep the security at the Redemptorist Church in Davao. Instead of posting themselves in one or two in strategic parts or moving around the church, they are all clustered in one corner where it is shaded either rumor mongering or texting.
The homemade bomb used in Jolo must be something big considering the extent of the damage and the number of people killed and maimed. If the security was tight enough the bombs could not have been brought inside the church.
All these are beyond us now. After we bury the dead we should continue to care for the wounded. The president has ordered a stand down in Jolo and an all-out-offensive against the terrorists that seemed to move around freely, kidnapping people be they Christians or Muslims, foreigners or locals, men or women, children or adults. Police and military should not waste their time thinking and analyzing whether the perpetrators were ISIS or Abu Sayyafs, politically motivated or terrorist attack. It is plain carnage and whoever carried this out must be pursued to the ends of the earth and annihilated. The supremacy and strength of the government forces against these criminals must prevail because weakness and apathy invite aggression. Stop moonlighting as security guards of mining firms in Tawi-Tawi. That is not your sworn duty.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law had been ratified. It is a demonstration of sincerity of the Duterte administration in fulfilling the desired autonomy in what was once the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao. It is now the turn of The Moro Islamic Liberation Front to demonstrate its sincerity to assist the government in hunting down the perpetrators. As to the Moro National Liberation Front, whose leader Nur Misuari, is a veritable brother to President Duterte, you know every inch of the ground of the island provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, the time has come to prove you are worthy of your friend trust and confidence. Join hands with him to end once and for all the evil that lurks in your region for there is no better time than now to make your land and your people prosper. (Jun Ledesma)
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Monday, January 28, 2019
2 ISIS suicide bombers behind Jolo cathedral attack
SULU – The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin cathedral blasts in Jolo town in the southern Philippines and was carried out by a pair of suicide bombers.
ISIS, in a statement released by its Amaq News Agency, said the first bomber detonated an explosive belt, while the second attacker blew himself up outside the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral over the weekend and killing and wounding dozens of people, including soldiers deployed in the area.
The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. company that tracks online activity of jihadist organizations, reported that ISIS has owned to the bombings.
“ISIS, through Amaq and communiqué, claim deadly bombing on Christian church in Jolo, stating it was carried out by two suicide bombers. One detonated belt at church gate and second in church’s private lot where Filipino security forces gathered after first blast,” said Rita Katz, SITE director.
The Long War Journal also reported that ISIS describes its target in Jolo as a “Christian temple,” saying that it was bombed during a “gathering of the Crusaders to perform their polytheist rituals.”
Both reports and Amaq did not say whether the suicide bombers were foreign fighters or Filipino militants.
The Philippine military has largely blamed the “Ajang-Ajang Group,” a unit of the Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to ISIS, and vowed to fight for the establishment of a caliphate in the restive region.
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, a military spokesman, said two bombs went off in the church. One of the bombs was hidden under the seat of a motorcycle parked outside the cathedral.
Authorities said a total of 20 people were killed and over 70 others wounded in the blasts. Earlier police reports claimed 27 had died – seven soldiers, one Coast Guard and 19 civilians; and that 14 more troops were wounded and also 61 civilians and two Coast Guards.
Defense Chief Delfin Lorenzana and Police Chief Oscar Albayalde flew to Jolo on Monday to oversee the investigations into the attacks. Albayalde admitted the local police force failed to implement tight security that led to the attacks.
The bombings prompted the Philippine police to impose a nationwide alert to pre-empt any acts of terrorism.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said there could be lapses in security and that President Rodrigo Duterte is awaiting the results of investigations. He said Duterte was so angry. “Of course he was so angry, for one. For another, he is so disappointed that despite the movement to tread the path towards peace and development, there are still some forces in that region that sow terror and kill and murder people,” he said.
Sulu Governor Toto Tan on Monday again condemned the twin bombings and called it a “dastardly act committed inside a place of worship and wrecked deaths and devastations beyond imaginable reasons, and deserves the strongest of condemnation. Words elude us at this moment of profound grief.”
He said there has never been an episode in the post-colonial history of Sulu when wars were fought due to religious differences. “Sulu can rightly claim to be the most tolerant of any Muslim-dominated provinces in the region. Neighbors before the war of the 70s are still good neighbors until this very day. We should never allow anyone or anything to destroy what we have strongly built and nurtured through generations and so endearing to last for many more lifetimes to come, Inshallah!”
“As I deeply grieve and condole with the bereaved, I beseech everyone to exercise sobriety and allow concerned authorities and all instrumentalities of government to bring the perpetrators of this heinous and inhuman act to account for what they did to Sulu and its people. They should not go unpunished,” he said.
It was unclear how the improvised explosives were smuggled inside the church or how it managed to pass through police and military checkpoints.
The bombings happened despite an extended martial rule in the whole of southern Philippines, and the attacks only showed how poor the security was in the capital town.
On New Year’s Eve, an improvised explosive also went off outside the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City that left dozens of casualties. A member of the MILF - tagged by the police and military as a Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter - linked to the attack was arrested by authorities during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Cotabato to campaign for the BOL ratification ahead of the plebiscite. His family denied all the accusation against him.
The latest attack in Jolo was not the first time for Catholic churches in the predominantly Muslim province. In August 2013, a grenade explosion outside the cathedral wounded two civilians. And in the previous year, another fragmentation grenade exploded at the cathedral’s roof.
Previous attacks on churches were largely blamed by the authorities to the Abu Sayyaf, a small but the most notorious among rebel groups operating in the troubled region.
In December 2010, Abu Sayyaf militants bombed another church inside the police base in Jolo and killing at least six worshipers. The militants scaled the church wall undetected under cover of darkness and planted the bomb and waited the next morning before detonating the powerful explosive during a mass.
Two people were also killed and 17 others wounded when militants also detonated a huge bomb planted outside the cathedral in July 2009. A second bomb was found near the church and had been disarmed by Filipino and US troops helping the military fight terrorism.
In July 31 last year, a Moroccan ISIS soldier Abu Katheer al Maghribi, exploded his van filled with explosives in Lamitan City in the volatile Muslim province of Basilan, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that left over a dozen casualties. Basilan is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf. Several foreign fighters had been killed in clashes with soldiers in Basilan in recent years. (Mindanao Examiner)
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SITE Intelligence Group
ISIS, in a statement released by its Amaq News Agency, said the first bomber detonated an explosive belt, while the second attacker blew himself up outside the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral over the weekend and killing and wounding dozens of people, including soldiers deployed in the area.
The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. company that tracks online activity of jihadist organizations, reported that ISIS has owned to the bombings.
Rita Katz - SITE Intelligence Group
“ISIS, through Amaq and communiqué, claim deadly bombing on Christian church in Jolo, stating it was carried out by two suicide bombers. One detonated belt at church gate and second in church’s private lot where Filipino security forces gathered after first blast,” said Rita Katz, SITE director.
The Long War Journal also reported that ISIS describes its target in Jolo as a “Christian temple,” saying that it was bombed during a “gathering of the Crusaders to perform their polytheist rituals.”
Both reports and Amaq did not say whether the suicide bombers were foreign fighters or Filipino militants.
Ajang-Ajang
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, a military spokesman, said two bombs went off in the church. One of the bombs was hidden under the seat of a motorcycle parked outside the cathedral.
Authorities said a total of 20 people were killed and over 70 others wounded in the blasts. Earlier police reports claimed 27 had died – seven soldiers, one Coast Guard and 19 civilians; and that 14 more troops were wounded and also 61 civilians and two Coast Guards.
Security Lapses
The bombings prompted the Philippine police to impose a nationwide alert to pre-empt any acts of terrorism.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said there could be lapses in security and that President Rodrigo Duterte is awaiting the results of investigations. He said Duterte was so angry. “Of course he was so angry, for one. For another, he is so disappointed that despite the movement to tread the path towards peace and development, there are still some forces in that region that sow terror and kill and murder people,” he said.
Dastardly Act
He said there has never been an episode in the post-colonial history of Sulu when wars were fought due to religious differences. “Sulu can rightly claim to be the most tolerant of any Muslim-dominated provinces in the region. Neighbors before the war of the 70s are still good neighbors until this very day. We should never allow anyone or anything to destroy what we have strongly built and nurtured through generations and so endearing to last for many more lifetimes to come, Inshallah!”
“As I deeply grieve and condole with the bereaved, I beseech everyone to exercise sobriety and allow concerned authorities and all instrumentalities of government to bring the perpetrators of this heinous and inhuman act to account for what they did to Sulu and its people. They should not go unpunished,” he said.
Martial Law
The bombings happened despite an extended martial rule in the whole of southern Philippines, and the attacks only showed how poor the security was in the capital town.
On New Year’s Eve, an improvised explosive also went off outside the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City that left dozens of casualties. A member of the MILF - tagged by the police and military as a Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter - linked to the attack was arrested by authorities during President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Cotabato to campaign for the BOL ratification ahead of the plebiscite. His family denied all the accusation against him.
Attacks
Previous attacks on churches were largely blamed by the authorities to the Abu Sayyaf, a small but the most notorious among rebel groups operating in the troubled region.
In December 2010, Abu Sayyaf militants bombed another church inside the police base in Jolo and killing at least six worshipers. The militants scaled the church wall undetected under cover of darkness and planted the bomb and waited the next morning before detonating the powerful explosive during a mass.
Two people were also killed and 17 others wounded when militants also detonated a huge bomb planted outside the cathedral in July 2009. A second bomb was found near the church and had been disarmed by Filipino and US troops helping the military fight terrorism.
In July 31 last year, a Moroccan ISIS soldier Abu Katheer al Maghribi, exploded his van filled with explosives in Lamitan City in the volatile Muslim province of Basilan, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that left over a dozen casualties. Basilan is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf. Several foreign fighters had been killed in clashes with soldiers in Basilan in recent years. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Sunday, January 27, 2019
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