Philippine Clash Leaves Abu Sayyaf Commander Dead

Updated at 2 p.m. ET on 2017-05-01

The Philippine armed forces said Saturday it had killed a notorious Abu Sayyaf "sub-commander" wanted for a rash of abductions targeting Malaysians and Indonesians and for a 2002 bomb attack that left a U.S. soldier dead.

Alhabsy Misaya was killed Friday by troops scouring the thick jungles of Jolo, in the southern tip of the Philippines, although details could not be released as the offensive action was continuing, the military said.

A member of the army's Joint Task Force in Jolo confirmed the death, and said the offensives were part of the armed forces' stepped up operations to crush the Abu Sayyaf force by June 30.

Military chief Gen. Eduardo Año in a brief statement said Misaya was slain during an operation in Jolo's Indanan town, but that he could not provide further details so as not to compromise ongoing operations.

“Troops from assigned Philippine Marine units killed the Abu Sayyaf extremist commander, who is considered to be one of the most notorious kidnappers in southern Philippines,” he said.

Hostages

Misaya's group is believed to be holding some of the Abu Sayyaf's 27 hostages, which include 12 Vietnamese, seven Indonesians and a Dutchman seized in 2012.

In March 2016, Misaya's faction seized 10 Indonesian crewmen of the Tugboat Brahma 12 while five Malaysians were seized in July last year.

The Indonesian crewmen were all released after reported payments of ransom, while the Malaysian captives were freed following clashes that year.

"We have got information about the death of Alhabsy Misaya. Seven Indonesian hostages are not detained by Misaya's group. They are detained by two different groups in Sulu island," the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Misaya is a known Abu Sayyaf bomb maker, and the military has named him as the main suspect in a 2002 attack that killed U.S. soldier Sergeant Mark Jackson and wounded a colleague and 23 Filipinos, the army said.

The Joint Task Force said the fresh clashes were part of its operation to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf, which deployed a group of militants to scout for new victims on the central island of Bohol this month.

A combined group of soldiers and policemen however were tipped off, triggering a series of clashes that left nine Abu Sayyaf militants dead, including Abu Rami, another Abu Sayyaf militant who led a faction that kidnapped and beheaded foreigners.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf, or Bearers of the Sword, was once affiliated with al-Qaeda but has declared allegiance to the Islamic State.

Viewed as one of Southeast Asia’s most violent militant groups over two decades, it was blamed for the 2004 bombing of a passenger ferry on Manila Bay in which over 100 were killed in what is considered the country's worst terrorist attack.

In February, the militants beheaded Jürgen Kantner, 70, a German yachtsman they snatched in December. Last year, they also beheaded two Canadian hostages who had been seized from a beach resort also in the south.

In Manila, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella confirmed the report, and said Misaya's death was a "big blow" to the Abu Sayyaf.

But while the Abu Sayyaf leader has been killed, he called on the public to remain on alert and work with state forces in addressing the threat posed by the group.

“We call on all citizens to remain vigilant, alert and watchful in cooperating with security forces to end the menace of this bandit group as government holds them accountable for their brutal and senseless crimes,” Abella said in a statement.

“Let us cooperate to have safer and more secure communities. This is our shared responsibility,” he said.

Mark Navales in Mindanao and Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report