Posted on 02/02/2012 5:51:15 AM PST by csvset
The Philippine military says it has killed three senior militants from al-Qaeda-linked groups in a raid in the south of the country.
The air raid took place on Thursday in an area known as a militant stronghold. Officials said two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders and one Abu Sayyaf leader were among a total of 15 people killed.
Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, or Marwan, who was on the US FBI's most wanted list with a $5m (£3.2m) reward offered for his capture, was reported killed.
According to the military, the militants were killed in the town of Parang on Jolo island, Sulu province, in the Mindanao region.
Regional military commander Maj Gen Noel Coballes told Agence France Presse news agency that troops on the ground had confirmed the deaths.
Marwan, a top JI leader, is said to have been behind a series of bomb attacks in the southern Philippines since 2006.
The military identified the other two senior militants as Jemaah Islamiyah leader Abdullah Ali, aliases Muhamda Ali or Mauwiya, and an Abu Sayyaf leader, Gumbahali Jumdail alias Doc Abu. According to the FBI, Marwan is "an engineer trained in the US" and has conducted bomb-making activities for militant groups, especially Abu Sayyaf. Muawiya, also a top JI leader, is said to be a Singaporean national who came to the Philippines after the Bali bombings in 2002.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Dead terrorist ping
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