Malaysia seeks verification from PHL of JI leader's death

1. Arm Forces of the Philippine shall prove the death of Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf leader Zulkifli Abdul Hi. 

Malaysia is asking verification from Philippine authorities on the death of Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf leader Zulkifli Abdul Hir, who Philippine authorities said was among those killed in a military operation on Thursday this week.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said police were liaising with their Philippine counterparts on handing DNA samples of Zulkifli's family for verification, Malaysia's The Star newspaper reported.

“Our team is now in Manila and is working closely with Philippine authorities. Police will arrange for the return of the body to Malaysia for burial if it is confirmed to be that of Zulkifli Abdul Hir,” he said.

Hishammuddin said police were also awaiting confirmation of the death of Bacho and Jeknal Adil, both members of the Darul Islam (DI) Sabah militant group.

Authorities in Malaysia have taken a DNA sample from a brother of Zulkifli, Mohd Tariq who works in Kuala Lumpur, according to a separate report on The Star.

Zulkifli, who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists' list, was reportedly killed in an air strike in Jolo on Thursday.

Also known as Marwan, Zulkifli, 46, was one of the world's most wanted men with an FBI bounty on his head.

Born in Muar, Zulkifli had trained as an engineer in the United States.

The Jemaah Islamiyah is a terrorist network linked to recent terrorist attacks in Asia, including the 2002 Bali bombings.

Preemptive measures

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said terrorist activities had failed to find a footing in Malaysia due to pre-emptive measures taken by authorities.

“This is one of the reasons why there are no serious terrorist threats in Malaysia. One of the reasons we have succeeded is because we have both proactive and pre-emptive measures in place to tackle the issue,” he said.

In Manila, regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said soldiers were still combing the jungle camp for Zulkifli's body, where 15 people were reportedly killed in the dawn air strike.

A military spokesman in Manila, Lt. Col. Marcelo Burgos, had initially reported that Zulkifli was among the fatalities. — LBG, GMA News

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Double Operations in Mindanao: Terrorist Leaders Dead

1. While the government initiating peace talk with Moro rebels US and Philippines military conducting their operations in some part of Mindanao.

2. Tell when this terrorist operation end? When and where they hide? Who created them?

3 wanted terrorist leaders killed in Sulu

Thursday, February 2, 2012

MANILA (2nd update 5:48 p.m.) -- The military said it killed three most-wanted leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah at dawn Thursday in one of the most significant successes against militants on their southern island stronghold.

Those killed included Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, a Filipino; Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan; and Singaporean Abdullah Ali, who uses the guerrilla name Muawiyah, said military spokesman Colonel Marcelo Burgos.

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Marwan is considered a top leader of the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah. Marwan carried a $5 million reward for his killing or capture and Muawiyah $50,000, both put up by the US government.

Burgos said the military carried out the attack early Thursday morning in Parang town on Jolo Island, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf and their allies from the Indonesian-based terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah.

The Abu Sayyaf is behind numerous ransom kidnappings, bomb attacks and beheadings that have terrorized the Philippines for more than two decades.

US-backed Philippine offensives have been credited for the capture and killing of hundreds of Abu Sayyaf fighters and most top leaders since the 1990s. Jumdail, also known as Dr. Abu, had eluded troops in numerous offensives and emerged as a key figure in the radical movement.

The Filipino militants gave refuge to Jemaah Islamiyah operatives in Jolo and Basilan, the most senior among them Muawiyah and Marwan, who escaped authorities in their own countries.

In Malacanang, officials gave the Armed Forces of the Philippines a pat on the back for neutralizing three most-wanted leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups.

“We commend the AFP with this victory in the continuing fight against terrorism,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said. (AP/With Jill Beltran) SUNSTAR

JI, Sayyaf terrorists killed in US-led military ops in the Philippines
Thursday, February 02, 2012 05:17:27 PM

Zulkifli bin Hir.

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 2, 2012) – The Philippine military, aided by a US spy plane, bombed a terrorist hideout early on Thursday in the southern island of Sulu and killed as many as a dozen gunmen, among them two Jemaah Islamiya bombers and a senior Abu Sayyaf leader, officials said. Officials said two military planes struck the hideout of Umbra Jumdail – dropping bombs on the hinterland village of Lanao Dakula in Parang town at around 2.30 a.m. – and destroying the target. One military official told the Mindanao Examiner that an unmanned US drone helped tracked down the terrorist hideout before a pair of ageing Philippine Air Force OV10 planes bombed the Abu Sayyaf hideout where Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Indian Abdullah Ali, alias Muawiyah, were also hiding. Zulkifli and Abdullah are included in the US wanted list and carried a $5 million and $50,000 bounty respectively, while Jumdail also had a $140,000 reward for his capture dead or alive. “We have reports that Jumdail, Marwan and Muawiyah were killed in the air strikes and along with many other terrorists and possibly at least a dozen are believed killed in the operations,” Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra, commander of police forces in Sulu, said in a separate interview. Freyra, who led police commandos in the ground operation, said the terrorist hideout was totally destroyed. “Nothing is left of the camp and everything disintegrated at ground zero, but there is a report that some terrorists were able to take away some of the bodies. Two of six bodies recovered by the Abu Sayyaf were left behind for a still unknown reason. Our informants also spotted rebel leader Ahadun Adak with at least 21 followers near the area,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. The Abu Sayyaf has been coddling Jemaah Islamiya terrorists tagged as behind the spate of bombings in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Mindanao Phobia

1.The price of the kidnapping in Mindanao.

UK warns its citizens to avoid going to Mindanao

ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA, Philippines - After the kidnapping of two Europeans in Tawi-tawi earlier this week, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) warned British nationals to avoid traveling to Mindanao due to the "high threat from terrorism."

"We advise against all travel to south-west Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of on-going terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups," the FCO said, in a February 1 advisory on its website.

South-west Mindanao covers the following areas: the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM, which includes Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and the islands of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) plus thep rovinces of Sarangani, North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay.

The FCO advised against all but essential travel to the rest of Mindanao because of ongoing terrorist activity. It noted there have been at least 10 bombings in the areas since November 2011.

The FCO emphasized the high terrorism threat. "Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. Such places could include, but are not limited to, airports, shopping malls, places of worship etc," it said.

British nationals were also warned about the threats of kidnapping in the Philippines, especially in the southern region.

"Kidnapping could occur anywhere, including on coastal and island resorts and dive boats and sites in the Sulu Sea," the FCO said.

Last February 1, Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, and Dutchman Ewold Horn, 52, were seized by armed men in Parangan in the township of Panglima Sugala in the Tawi Tawi island.

Last December 5, an Australian citizen was kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Aside from the threats to personal safety, the FCO advised against travel to areas in Mindanao that were affected by Tropical Storm Sendong last December, specifically Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro. It noted there is a heightened risk of diseases and an outbreak of leptospirosis in Cagayan De Oro.

British nationals are also advised to avoid flying with Philippine-certified airlines. There has been an EU ban on all carriers certified in the Philippines since April 2010, because the Philippine regulatory authority has been unable to verify that these airlines comply with international safety standards.

In 2011, over 130,000 British tourists visited the Philippines.

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