Philippines kills three top al-Qaeda militants
Philippine military officials said on Thursday that an early-morning raid had killed one of the top leaders of a regional terror network with links to al-Qaeda, as well as other senior terrorism suspects wanted by the United States.
The officials said government forces killed Zulkifli bin Hir, considered to be a senior leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorism network. The United States had posted a $5 million reward for his capture or killing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations lists Zulkifli, a Malaysian who also uses the name Marwan, among its most wanted terrorists, identifying him as a member of Jemaah Islamiyah’s central command. Trained as an engineer in the United States, Zulkifli has been accused of conducting bomb-making training for terrorist organizations, including the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines. Philippine officials said that the strikes also killed Abdullah Ali, a Singaporean who goes by Muawiyah. Ali carried a $50,000 reward from the United States and was also considered a leader of Jemaah Islamiyah.
An Abu Sayyaf leader, Umbra Jumdail, as well as more than a dozen other local militants, were also said to have died in the operation.
“These are notorious terrorist leaders,” Lt Col Randolph Cabangbang, a military spokesman in the area, said by telephone. “Their deaths will weaken the capabilities of the Abu Sayyaf.”
The predawn raid in a densely forested area near the town of Parang, on Jolo Island, came about after informants alerted the military and police to the presence of a large number of militants, including foreigners, in an area known as a hideout for Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, said Colonel Cabangbang.
Security analysts in the region were cautious about speculating on the implications of the deaths of the high-profile figures, noting that there are only field reports at this point and no confirmation of their identities.
