Two al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf commanders, including one on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists, survived a Philippine military offensive that killed eight militants and led to the seizure of their jungle lair and bomb materials in the southern Philippines, the military said on Tuesday.
The assault by more than 100 army troops early on Monday targeted Abu Sayyaf commanders Isnilon Hapilon and Puruji Indama in the outskirts of Tipo Tipo town on Basilan Island, but the two managed to escape and were still being hunted by government forces, army brigade commander Colonel Carlito Galvez said.
At least three soldiers were wounded in the main assault and two separate gunbattles afterward with about 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen. Troops captured the militants’ lair, where they found bomb-making materials and equipment, along with sniper rifle parts, Galvez said.
The bodies of two of the gunmen were recovered by troops, he said.
Washington has offered a US$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.
