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July 28, 2006
Philippines: Three Islamist Rebels Captured In South
We reported yesterday of fighting between rebels of the Muslim Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Miguandanao in the west of large southern island of Mindanao. Last year in January the Muslim rebels of MILF joined forces with the notorious Abu Sayyaf Islamist kidnapping gang in the same region of Miguandanao. They fought against the military, and also joined with a lesser known group with links to Abu Sayyaf. This group is called Abu Sofia. On January 6, 2005 its leader Bebis Binago had been killed in a military raid, and three days later MILF and the two other groups joined forces for a brief offensive. 23 people died.
Yesterday, in a development apparently unrelated to the fighting between MILF factions, three members of Abu Sofia were arrested, states ABS-CBN, Inq7 and China's People's Daily.
The three were apprehended yesterday during a raid by police and army upon Sultan Kudarat. They are wanted in connection with a series of bombings at shopping malls in General Santos City and South Cotabato which took place in 2003, killing more than a dozen people.
Salvador Calanoy, chief of Task Group Kutabato which led the raid, said that two pistols, explosives and chemicals for use in bomb-making were recovered from the three suspects. The three did not resist arrest.
As well as being involved with the bombings, the three individuals arrested were also suspected of involvement with several kidnappings, according to Superintendent Roberto Badian, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Mindanao.
According to Lt. Col. Calanoy, the three men had been plotting more bombings and kidnappings. They had been meeting with other Muslim rebels within the area before the raid.
The three arrested were Alo Binago, 39, current leader of the Abu Sofia group, and two of his deputies Kalid Binago and Manan Binago. All came from Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao.
Keywords: Abu Sofia, Abu Suffia
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 28, 2006 5:03 AM
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