MANILA, Philippines — The military and the police have gone on full alert in Sulu and nearby areas in anticipation of possible attacks by the Abu Sayyaf group in retaliation for the deaths of their subleader Injam Yadah and Al-al Sawadjaan, the youngest brother of the bandits’ bomb expert Mundi Sawadjaan.
Yadah and Al-al were killed in a clash with government troops at Barangay Alat in Jolo, Sulu, before dawn on Sunday.
Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr, chief of Western Mindanao Command, said on Monday that Mundi, the alleged mastermind of the twin suicide bombing in Jolo Cathedral that killed 20 people in January 2019, was the only one left of the seven Sawadjaan siblings. The rest have been neutralized.
“Only Mundi is left … They are seven siblings. The last he had with him was Al-al,” Vinluan told reporters.
He said four Sawadjaans were killed in November last year, including Madzmar, Dave and Mannul. The name of the fourth brother was not available. The eldest sibling, Mujafal, was killed in an encounter last April. Al-al is the youngest who volunteered to undertake suicide bombing.
Vinluan pointed out that Mundi had been sly and slippery. “[Mundi] is smart. He uses his men to shield him while he hides. He just runs away from armed encounters. He’s the first to run.”
Retaliatory attacks
“Bandits who’ve surrendered tell us [Mundi] is not really a warrior and he just hides. His task is to inflict the most casualties because he knows how to make bombs,” Vinluan said.
The Western Mindanao military gave assurance that their pursuit of Mundi and his remaining men would continue as security forces brace for retaliatory attacks.
He said the Philippine National Police was working closely with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in reinforcing defense in the city of Jolo and other towns in Sulu as well as nearby areas.
Remain vigilant
For his part, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the PNP, has placed the local police on full alert and gave assurance that the police would work closely with the military to thwart possible retaliatory attacks from the Abu Sayyaf.
“We are doubling our efforts to capture Mundi and his men. We will intensify our coordination with the AFP as well as our intelligence gathering efforts to combat this group and stop their attacks on innocent civilians,” Eleazar said.
He urged the public to remain vigilant and immediately report to authorities any information they might have on the bandits’ whereabouts.