A deadly leader of a notorious terrorist group that has been wasting lives has finally been killed in battle.
*Photo used for illustrative purpose*
Philippine security forces have killed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf
terrorist group who was suspected to be behind the beheading of a German
tourist in February, officials said on Wednesday.
The Military Chief, General Eduardo Ano, said that Muammar Askali,
also known as Abu Rami, was among six Abu Sayyaf militants killed in a
firefight on the central island of Bohol on Tuesday.
“Rami’s body was recovered after the clash in a village in the
coastal town of Inabanga on the resort island, some 600 km south of
Manila.
“This is a very big accomplishment and a big blow to the Abu Sayyaf.
“We can attribute a lot of atrocities to Abu Rami,” he said. “In fact, he was being eyed as one of the future leaders of the Abu Sayyaf,’’ Ano said.
Rather than being led by one person, the militant group has a number of senior leaders.
According to military intelligence reports, Rami ordered the
beheading of two Canadian nationals in 2016 and a 70-year-old German
hostage in February after his group’s demands for a ransom were not met.
He also reportedly planned the kidnapping of a German couple off
the Malaysian state of Sabah in April 2014. The hostages were freed six
months later after a ransom of about 5 million dollars was paid.
Ano said Rami and 10 of his men allegedly traveled to Bohol to
abduct foreign and local tourists but their plans were foiled when
residents reported the presence of armed men to authorities.
“There are still five that we are tracking; they are no longer a threat to our citizens.
“They are on the run and we are conducting pursuit operations.
“However, we always call on our citizens to show vigilance and
it is very important that they share or report to us any particularly
suspicious people in the area,” he said.
Ano said that 11 Abu Sayyaf militants surrendered to the military
in the southern city of Zamboanga on Tuesday adding that authorities
expected more to surrender after Rami’s death.
U.S. and Australian authorities earlier warned of “unsubstantiated
yet credible information that terrorist groups may attempt to conduct
kidnappings” in Bohol and the nearby province of Cebu.
Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding about 20 hostages, including
12 Vietnamese sailors, seven Indonesians and a Dutch man kidnapped in
2012, on the southern island of Jolo, their stronghold.
-NAN
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