Filipino troops attack Abu Sayyaf hideout

Clashes kill 7 militants

MANILA, Philippines, April 15, (AP): More than 100 Filipino troops attacked a mountainous stronghold of two al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf commanders, including one on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists, sparking clashes Monday that killed at least seven militants in the country’s south.

The offensive targeted Abu Sayyaf commanders Isnilon Hapilon and Puruji Indama in the outskirts of Tipo Tipo town on Basilan Island, but it was not clear if the two were hit or managed to escape during the main assault after dawn and two clashes that erupted afterward, army brigade commander Col. Carlito Galvez said.

At least three soldiers were wounded in the clashes with about 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen, the military said.

Washington has offered a $5 million reward for the capture or killing of Hapilon, who has been accused of involvement in deadly bomb attacks, kidnappings and beheadings, including of Americans in the past, landing him on the list of the FBI’s most-wanted terrorists.

Indama has been wanted by Philippine authorities for his alleged involvement in deadly bombings and kidnappings of several people, including a former Australian soldier who was freed last month after 15 months of jungle captivity after ransom was paid.

Indama has been blamed for the 2007 beheadings of 10 marines in Basilan, a widely condemned atrocity that prompted a major military offensive against the militants.

Galvez said in a telephone interview that Hapilon and Indama are also accused of trying to sabotage infrastructure projects, including the construction of a road, and of trying to extort money from several business firms.

“Both their signatures appeared on the extortion letters,” he said.

The attack took place near a community-like encampment of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim rebel group in the country with which the government has been negotiating a peace accord for years.

The Moro rebels said they were the ones attacked by army troops, adding the assault violated a years-long truce and may have been aimed at undermining their Malaysian-brokered peace negotiations with the Philippine government.

The Moro rebels said in a statement on their website that the 30-minute clash left scores of guerrilla casualties. Soldiers entered another rebel community in Basilan but the guerrillas there avoided clashing with the troops to prevent damaging the peace talks, it said.