The Philippines military braced for possible revenge attacks on Saturday after DNA testing confirmed the leader of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group had been killed in a clash with troops.
Tests carried out by United States investigators determined that a body recovered in the southern island of Jolo in December was that of Khadaffy Janjalani, head of the al Qaeda-linked group, the nation's military chief said.
"The FBI test which was witnessed by three officers of the (Philippine police) crime lab states that the cadaver... is that of Khadaffy Janjalani, the acknowledged leader of the Abu Sayyaf group," General Hermogenes Esperon said.
The US embassy issued a statement congratulating the Philippines over his death, describing it as "a major step forward in the fight against terrorism in the Philippines and in the global war on terror."
President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye credited the success to "good intelligence sharing and co-operation from the grassroots," in Jolo. The Abu Sayyaf is responsible for the worst terror attacks in the Philippines' history, including bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians.
Comments
Comments are closed.