Abu Sayyaf militant hurt in gunfight
Sub-commander believed to be planning abductions in Sabah waters
KOTA KINABALU: A militant Abu Sayyaf sub-commander, who is in the thick of planning abductions in Sabah waters, is believed to have been injured during gunfights with the Philippines military.
Authorities are now trying to verify the extent of Hatib Hajan Sawadjan’s injuries following the shootout that involved some 50 militants under Hatib and sub-commander Indang Susukan at their hideout in Patikul, Jolo.
Regional intelligence sources said yesterday that a brother of Hatib, known only as Taha, was killed in Friday’s 90-minute fight.
The military operations were aimed at wiping out remnant militant Abu Sayyaf groups that are seeing resurgence in Jolo.
Philippines media, quoting Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) Lt Col Gerry Besana spokesman, said among those critically wounded was Hatib.
Hatib was reportedly carried away by his followers in the fighting that saw seven soldiers and one militant killed. Military sources said that at least 17 soldiers were injured.
The military was on a searchand-rescue operation for the remaining 13 Abu Sayyaf hostages including two Indonesian fishermen taken from Sabah waters off Semporna on Sept 11.
The Star reported last month that a kidnap-for-ransom group in southern Philippines was posing fresh threats to Sabah’s east coast as Abu Sayyaf commanders were regrouping after nearly two years on the run.
Some top sub-commanders, who were believed to be killed in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 all out war against the Abu Sayyaf in their Jolo island stronghold, including Susukan, had resurfaced.
Susukan’s group was responsible for the abduction of the Tung cous- ins from Negri Sembilan in 2012, Taiwanese Chang An Wei kidnapped in Pom Pom island in 2013 and Bernard Then, who was the first and sole Malaysian to be beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf.
Regional intelligence sources said that Susukan was working with Hatib to carry out new kidnappings and southern Philippines political warlords said to be edgy over the newly introduced Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) financed them.
BOL creates a Muslim-majority sub-state in the Philippines that will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
The warlords – through Abu Sayyaf sub-commanders – have so far financed up to 1.7 mil pesos (about RM170,000) for two kidnap-for-ransom groups to carry out kidnapping in Sabah’s east coast waters.
The source said one of the groups - with about eight gunmen led by Amah Ullah @ Suraka - tried to target an oil palm-laden tug boat in Tambisan waters off Lahad Datu on Aug 10 but failed after Malaysian security forces came to the scene.
Suraka was subsequently killed by Philippines troops but another group of seven under Salip Murah is believed to be behind the Sept 11 kidnapping of two Indonesian fishing boat crew members off Pulau Gaya in Semporna.