Air Strikes kill 20 in Sulu
'Robot'
escapes to Tawi-Tawi
By Faber Concepcion, Marian Trinidad and
Manny B. Marinay
SIASI, Sulu—Some
20 persons were believed killed and scores hurt by air strikes on Pandami island, Sulu, by
military warplanes and helicopter gunships out to crush a faction of the Abu Sayyaf
terrorists.
The air strikes
on the isolated island here were taken as another indication of the military’s bent
on expanding the scope of the drive against the terrorists and of a prolonged campaign in
Sulu.
Meantime, the
Armed Forces Southern Command lifted yesterday the restrictions on media coverage of the
campaign, as well as the ban on travel by commercial vessels to Jolo.
But even as the
military reported success in terms of number of bandits killed and seized firearms,
persistent reports that their main quarries have escaped continued to filter in from the
front.
A report from the
Philippine National Police (PNP) said that Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot, along with
his men and 16 hostages, has escaped to Tawi-Tawi.
It also confirmed
that Abu Sayyaf chieftain, Radulan Sajiron, has died due to loss of blood. The
bandit was wounded in a leg during an encounter with government troops.
Government sources
also confirmed that the faction of Abu Sabaya, which is holding hostage American Jeffrey
Edward Schilling, has slipped through a naval blockade and “has reached an island
outside of Sulu.”
Even the US
Embassy appeared to confirm this when hinted it is ready to negotiate Schilling’s
release if the Sabaya faction initiates the talks.
Earlier in the
week, air strikes also hit a border area of the Panamao and Luuk towns, where the faction
of Andang and Mujib Susukan, along with 100 armed men and their captives evangelist Wilde
Almeda and his 12 followers, were sighted.
Andang was
reportedly critically wounded in the attack, but top government officials dubbed the
reports as sheer propaganda.
They also doubted
claims that Sajiron has been slain in a clash with government troops.
On its 13th day of
the assault, government forces have killed in action 111 Abu Sayyaf rebels. Of this
number, there were only 55 bodies recovered while the rest were based on field and
intelligence reports.
Casualties on the
government’s side rose from two to four yesterday and 11 wounded when elements of the
59th Infantry Battalion engaged in a firefight a band of Abu Sayyaf terrorists at Mabajai,
a border village between Talipao and Panamao.
The firefight was
still going on as of press time.
The military
claims to have captured 49 rebels and recovered 1,957 high-powered firearms.
Seven bombs
Health workers
based in this town said at least two MG-520 rocket-firing choppers and two OV-10 planes
were involved in the air strikes early Wednesday on Pandami’s three coastal
barangays, Minul, Kalang and Malanta, forcing most of the residents to flee.
“Seven bombs
were dropped on the villages,” the sources said.
Witnesses said
ground troops occupied the three barangays after the bombing run.
“Many of the
residents have found shelter in houses of relatives, with some opting to stay in
military-built evacuation centers in other barangay of the island town,” witnesses
said.
Pandami Mayor
Hadja Pulahong, who was in Zamboanga at the time of the air strikes, expressed surprise
over the attack, but refused to make any comment.
A coastal area
south of Pandami is a known base of one Commander Murphy Imbang, whose group was believed
responsible for the kidnapping of the 21Western and Asian nationals from the island resort
Sipadan, Malaysia, on April 23.
Except for
Filipino dive instructor Roland Ullah, all the Sipadan hostages have been freed following
the payment of ransoms by Malaysia and Libya to the faction of Robot and Susukan, which
took control of the Sipadan hostages.
Pandami used to be
part of the Siasi group of islands, one of the 10-island municipalities in the second
district of Sulu, and is about 1-1/2 kilometers southwest of this town’s main port.
Intelligence
reports said the faction, known as the “Pandami boys,” has joined the faction of
Nandy Muradji alias Commander Abu Sabar in its stronghold in Pantao, Talipao.
The same reports
tagged this faction as behind the ambush of a group, composed of Robot, Susukan and
government emissaries retired colonel Ernesto Pacunio alias “Dragon” and his
sidekick “Dragonito” (Richie Juamaani), fetching the last Sipadan hostages from
Bandang in Talipao town.
Earlier reports
that Robot was badly wounded in the air raid on the Panamao-Luuk border remained
unconfirmed yesterday.
Senator Rodolfo
Biazon, quoting an intelligence report, disclosed that Robot was badly wounded during the
air strikes.
He added a report
from the Armed Forces southern command said troops captured 78 bandits and seized 28
high-powered firearms.
Sulu Governor
Abdusakur Tan denied Robot and company have escaped to nearby Tawi-Tawi.
“They’re
still in Sulu,” Tan said, adding that the equally wounded Susukan has taken over from
Robot.
A Camp Crame
report said the Robot group is now holed in Kuilasi, Maumbong.
Propaganda
Col. Jaime
Canatoy, chief of the AFP civil relations service said the reports on Andang and Sajiron
are sheer propaganda.
Besides, these
reports are “flawed” and tainted with Abu Sayyaf sympathizers as the primary
source, the Armed Forces official said, adding he is convinced these tales were but a ploy
to allow the besieged Muslim extremists to break through the tight military cordon in
Sulu.
National Security
Adviser Alexander Aguirre said he also doubted the veracity of the reports on the two Abu
Sayyaf chieftains.
Both said either
the military or the bandits must produce “bodies” to confirm these reports.
Aguirre also said
it would take at least a few more weeks before the military could neutralize the
Abu-Sayyaf.
The ongoing
operations require not only crushing the bandits but rescuing the hostages also, he added.
“Our foremost
concern here is the safety of the hostages,” he said even as he admitted that they
erred in putting a three-day timetable in crippling the Abu Sayyaf.
Aguirre said
military is putting its best foot forward to put an end to the terrorist activities of the
Abu Sayyaf.
“It’s
time peace reign in Jolo,” he said.
with Charmaine C. Deogracias
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