Abu Sayyaf stronghold falls, Army says

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Government security forces had seized an Abu Sayyaf explosives factory in Basilan, which also served as a training camp, following weeks of operation there that resulted in the deaths of a soldier and several bandits, officials said on Friday.

Rear Admiral Reynaldo Yoma, commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (Navforwem), however, told the Inquirer that the three Malaysians, who have been training the Abu Sayyaf on bomb making, were not in the camp in a remote area of Barangay Tuburan in Mohammad Ajul town, on Thursday.

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“We were able to get their stronghold, it’s a fortified area, surrounded by improvised explosive devices (IED). It’s a place where they make and produce explosives,” Yoma said on Friday.

“It is also the same place where these three Malaysian JIs (Jemaah Islamiyah) train local bandits to make bombs,” Yoma added, referring to Mohammad Najib Bin, alias “Anas”; Mohammad Joraimi bin Awang Raimee, alias “Jandal”; and Dr. Mahmud bin Ahmad, alias “Handzalahdoc.”

Mahmud and the other militants belong to the Darul Islam Sabah, a Malaysian group closely linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

READ: 3 Malaysian terror suspects teaching Abu Sayyaf new bombing styles – Navy

Information on the other militants was scarce but Mahmud, 36, was said to be a former lecturer at the University Malaya’s Islamic Studies.

Yoma said inside the camp, government security forces found 14 IEDs and bomb-making materials like ammonium nitrate.

Navy Capt. Roy Vincent Trinidad, chief of staff of Navforwem, said it was difficult for soldiers to penetrate the camp as it was rigged with explosives.

“It took days for our troops to penetrate the place,” Trinidad said.

“That is the reason most of our troops suffered shrapnel injuries,” Yoma added.

A soldier and five Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in the clash preceding the take-over, Trinidad added.

In Maguindanao, Army Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the 6th Infantry Division, told the Inquirer by phone that soldiers were also hunting down Singaporean terror suspect Muhammad Ali, alias “Muawiyah.” Julie Alipala with a report from Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao