Two of Southeast Asia's most wanted terrorist suspects evaded capture and three militants were killed Monday when Philippine troops raided camps of an al Qaeda-linked group, the military said.
Indonesian nationals Dulmatin and Umar Patek, alleged bombmakers for the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group responsible for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings, escaped during an early morning firefight.
The US government has posted a reward of 10 million dollars for the capture of Dulmatin and one million dollars for Patek. But the two men, who have been hiding out on the southern island of Jolo with the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, have managed to evade a massive military operation involving more than 8,000 troops along with US advisers and intelligence officers.
A Philippine army unit trained by the US military raided an Abu Sayyaf camp early Monday, local army commander Brigadier General Ruperto Pabustan said. "Three Abu Sayyaf members were captured after a brief firefight," Pabustan said, but added the "high value targets - Dulmatin and Patek - escaped." "Pursuit operations are continuing," he said.
In another firefight later in the day three Abu Sayyaf militants were killed near the town of Patikul and one soldier wounded, Marine spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan said. On Sunday, nine soldiers and civilians were killed when Abu Sayyaf militants attacked an army base on Jolo.
More than 8,000 Filipino troops are on Jolo on instructions from President Gloria Arroyo to crush the Abu Sayyaf, a small gang of self-styled Islamic militants who experts say once received funding from al Qaeda. The Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for a series of bomb attacks in the Philippines in recent years, as well as for high-profile kidnappings of foreigners and missionaries.
Since the military operation on Jolo began last September the group's top two leaders have been killed and the remaining members, said to number around 400, have splintered into smaller units trying to evade government forces. Isnilon Hapilon is among the last few senior Abu Sayyaf leaders trying to assert overall command over the group. The US government has offered up to five million dollars for his arrest.
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