Philippine troops seize Abu Sayyaf militants' camp

[September 21, 2009]  MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Troops raised the Philippine flag Monday on an al-Qaida-linked mountain camp that they overran after clashes and airstrikes that left up to 19 militants dead, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said the bodies of two Abu Sayyaf militants have been recovered, but intelligence sources say at least 17 more were killed in Sunday's fighting. Five were wounded on the government side.

The hostilities broke out as residents of the predominantly Muslim island celebrated the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Fitr.

Troops were tracking a 40-man group of militants led by Isnilon Hapilon when they stumbled upon a gathering of some 220 rebels, including two commanders, Albader Parad and Umbra Jumdail, according to Dolorfino.

Two members of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah were also believed to be with the group, including Mauwiyah, a Singaporean.

Hapilon's group was monitored by military intelligence to have arrived on Jolo on Saturday from nearby Basilan island. Officials say Hapilon, Parad, Jumdail and their respective forces were at the camp when the fighting broke out. The three commanders apparently escaped in the intermittent 10-hour firefight that ensued.

Ground troops had difficulty scaling the 1,000-foot (330-meter) slope so they requested airstrikes, Dolorfino said. The camp was captured Sunday.

Dolorfino, who visited the site Monday, said he and Sulu provincial Gov. Abdusakur Tan led the flag-raising rites over the camp "to symbolize assertion of our sovereignty over that place."

Pursuit operations continue against the militants, who splintered into groups and fled.

Washington has offered a $5 million reward for Hapilon, who has been indicted in the U.S. for alleged involvement in terrorist acts against Americans and others in the Philippines, as well as lesser rewards for the capture of the other two commanders.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 400 fighters, has been blamed for numerous bombings, beheadings and kidnappings of Filipinos and foreigners. It is believed to have received funds from al-Qaida and is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

The group is believed to be sheltering Jemaah Islamiyah militants, including Umar Patek and Dulmatin. The two fled to the Philippines to evade a crackdown in Indonesia after allegedly helping mastermind the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people.

[Associated Press; By TERESA CEROJANO]

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