Posted on 03/15/2005 8:22:40 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
23 dead as Philippine forces storm prison to end Islamic militant revolt
Twenty-three people including three top leaders of an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic group have been killed when Philippine police stormed a maximum security prison to end a day-old revolt. Around 300 heavily armed special forces police firing tear gas and automatic rifles took part in the operation at Camp Bagong Diwa prison in southeastern Manila, where three prison guards and two inmates were killed in a jailbreak attempt Monday.
Manila police chief Avelino Razon said three leaders of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap group -- Galib Andang, alias Commander Robot; Alhamser Limbong, alias Commander Kosovo; and Nadjmi Sabdulla, alias Commander Global -- were among 22 slain prisoners. One policeman who was part of the initial assault was found dead later.
Razon told reporters that eight handguns had been recovered from cells of Abu Sayyaf prisoners in the four-storey building, along with two hand grenades and improvised firebombs. Hours after the attack the smell of tear gas still hung over the jail as police continued to search the cells. Officials said many of the dead Abu Sayyaf members were found in a blood-soaked cell on the ground floor.
President Gloria Arroyo said in a radio speech that "terrorism will never win in the Philippines." She said a government team, led by Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes, had "exahusted all peaceful means to resolve the crisis" and force was used as a last resort. Arroyo said Reyes would conduct a full investigation into the incident. "Those responsible for lapses in security will be sanctioned." Arroyo said the country's jail system will be examined so that terrorists will be kept inside "permanently and without the chance to do harm until freed by the courts ... if ever." "This is a lesson of sustained vigilance for all our people," Arroyo said.
Razon said Andang had been involved in the kidnap of western tourists from Sipadan island in Malaysia in 2000, while Limbong faced trial for the bombing of a ferry in Manila last year that left over 100 people dead.
Six policemen were wounded in the assault, he said.
"Thank God it is over ... the terrorists got what was coming to them," said Arroyo's press secretary, Ignacio Bunye.
The prison houses most of the suspects believed responsible for the worst attacks by Islamic extremists in the Philippines.
Police wearing gas masks and helmets started storming the four-storey building and retaking it cell by cell and floor by floor at 9:15 am (0115 GMT).
For about two hours heavy automatic rifle fire could be heard coming from the block holding 471 prisoners, a third of them Abu Sayyaf suspects, as thick clouds of teargas billowed from windows.
Reyes said the operation had been carried out in an "exemplary" manner but expressed regret at the casualty count.
"I hope this delivers a strong message that anybody who tries to do something like this in the future will be dealt with in the same fashion," Reyes said.
"They tried to escape. They killed three of our guards and wounded two others," Reyes said.
Asked why Andang was shot when he had already lost a leg during his capture in 2001, national police spokesman Leopoldo Bataoil said: "You don't use your legs to fire a gun."
Andang, a former separatist Muslim guerrilla in his late 30s, allegedly led an Abu Sayyaf kidnapping raid on the Malaysian resort of Sipadan in April 2000.
The group seized 21 Western tourists and Asian resort workers, shipping them to the Philippine island of Jolo where they were held for several months before being ransomed off for millions of dollars.
Limbong was on trial for the bombing of a passenger ferry on Manila Bay last year that claimed more than 100 lives -- the country's worst militant attack -- as well as the kidnapping of several tourists on a resort island in the western Philippines in May 2001.
Two of the three American captives in that raid were killed while in captivity including one, Californian tourist Guillermo Sobero, who was allegedly beheaded by Limbong.
A third American hostage, Christian missionary Gracia Burnham, was rescued on Mindanao island in June 2002.
Afghan army detains 15 suspected terrorists
KABUL, March 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Troops of the Afghan National Army (ANA) have arrested 15 suspected terrorists in the troubled east and southern provinces over the past week, Defense Ministry said here on Sunday.
"In a series of clean-up operations conducted by the ANA since last week, 15 suspected terrorists have been detained," Zahir Azimi, a spokesman of the ministry said at a news conference. Of these suspects, he added, nine were apprehended in eastern Kunar province while the other six were from southern Uruzgan and Zabul provinces respectively. The spokesman declined to identify the detainees or their nationalities. However, he said that Bismillah, a Taliban operative, was among the detainees.
Uruzgan, the hometown of Taliban's elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and neighboring provinces of Zabul and Kandahar, commonly known as heartland of Taliban's loyalists, have been the scene of insurgency since the collapse of the regime in late 2001. Over 20 people including militants, civilians, aid workers and US troops have been killed in Taliban-related militancy over the past two weeks in the country. Enditem
Imam & teacher in terror net
New Delhi (PTI): An imam and a madarsa teacher were arrested for allegedly receiving arms from Lashkar-e-Toiba militants who had planned to attack the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, police sources said on Sunday.
Masood Ahmed, the imam of Baghwali Masjid in northeast Delhi, and Dilawar Khan, a teacher in a nearby madarsa, were arrested after one of the arrested militants disclosed their identities, the sources said.
Ahmed, who had been detained since Saturday, was formally arrested the next day, they said. Arms and ammunition, including some grenades, have been seized, they said. The arms were received from the Lashkar militants, three of whom were killed in an encounter by the special cell of Delhi police on March 5, the sources claimed.
A hunt is on for one Salim alias Doctor, who the police suspect is the key man behind the Lashkar module that had planned to attack the military academy and had also surveyed software installations in Bangalore.
Lashkar explosives expert arrested
* Alleged to be behind bridge bombs meant for Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif
By Mubasher Bukhari
LAHORE: The Anti-Terrorist Force has arrested Mufti Eid Muhammad, an explosives expert for the defunct militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, intelligence sources told Daily Times on Monday.
Intelligence agencies were tipped off about his location in Lahore and a special squad took him into custody, sources said, adding that interrogations revealed that he used to make bombs for terrorist activities. Eid Muhammad carries a Rs 500,000 bounty.
Sources said, “Eid Muhammad also directed authorities to two of his accomplices hiding in Karachi. They were also arrested.”
Local police denied having any information of his arrest.
Eid Muhammad is alleged to have been the man who rigged Chaklala Bridge, Rawalpindi, with explosives in an attempt to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf on December 14, 2003 in Rawalpindi.
The bomb exploded seconds after President Musharraf’s motorcade crossed the bridge, the jamming device installed in the president’s car stalling the bomb.
Eid Muhammad is also alleged to have rigged a bridge on Raiwind Road with explosives in an attempt to assassinate former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on January 3, 1999 in Lahore.
Nawaz Sharif and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif were scheduled to travel on the road separately on the same day. The bomb exploded a few minutes before Shahbaz’s arrival, destroying the bridge.
Pakistan President says troops were ”close” to capturing Bin Laden
Pakistani security forces came close to capturing Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in an operation about eight to 10 months ago, but he eluded arrest and his trail has since gone cold, Pakistan's president said Tuesday. osama bin laden
"There was a time when the dragnet had closed and we thought we knew roughly the area where he possibly could be," Musharraf said in an interview with the BBC aired Tuesday.
"That was, I think, some time back ... maybe about eight to 10 months back," he said, adding, "But after that, this is such a game, this intelligence, that they escape. They can move and then you lose contact."
LeT commander eliminated
Jammu, March 14: SECURITY forces eliminated one top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit after he was returning from attending the meeting of various militant outfits at Phagla Nursery in Surankote (Poonch) today.
According to sources, acting on a tip-off, troops launched a cordon and search operation in Phagla area of Surankote thesil. The killed Abu Umar was shot dead by troops after a five-hours encounter during the operation. Umar was killed by the security while he was returning from attending a meeting of various leaders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen Pir Panjal Range (HMPPR)
Sources said that other militants escaped from the spot towards the upper reaches and added that operation was still on when reports last came in. Troops recovered one AK 47 rifle, four AK magazines, two hand grenades, one radio set and 107 rounds of AK ammunition.
Philipine cops ended the prison uprising AND saved their legal system much expense.
Cool!
I love that line about not using your legs to fire a gun. Reporters ask such stupid questions sometimes.
Add me to your ping list please.
V/R
More good news around the world.
23 dead as Philippine forces storm prison to end Islamic militant revolt
FYI, There's a very interesting article in the winter issue of The National Intrest, called Jihad Archipelago. It deals with the GWOT in soutest Asia. It's not available onlinr but I'd recomend it.
"tactical interrogation,”
I have a feeling it involves more than just undies on the head.
I need to know more about this guy? I like him..no PC bs. The kind of press secretary I'd like to see here in this country, which we could do if all the OLD MEDIA reporters weren't all DemoRATs.
I need to know more about this guy? I like him..no PC bs. The kind of press secretary I'd like to see here in this country, which we could do if all the OLD MEDIA reporters weren't all DemoRATs.
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