ZAMBOANGA CITY—The military yesterday said there are more Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) operatives, who have sought refuge in Sulu and nearby areas, than was previously thought.
Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga, Western Mindanao Command chief, said these JI members are operating alongside the Abu Sayyaf.
“During the Tawi-tawi incident on Jan. 6, our forces killed one of them along with several Abu Sayyaf members including Jundam Jamalul alias Black killer,” Allaga said.
Dulmatin aide
He said Gufran, also known as Abu Samur, was a trusted aide of JI leader Joko Pitono or Dulmatin.
Aside from Dulmatin, the other prominent JI members now in Sulu are Umar Patek and Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan in Sulu.
All three JI leaders carry a bounty of $5 million each for their capture, dead or alive.
Maj. Gen. Reuben Rafael, chief of the Task Force Comet, said the exact number of JI operatives now in Sulu and nearby areas could not be determined yet.
“But there are more or less 10 of them. That is also the main reason we have been conducting relentless operations against them,” he said.
He said the military was trying its best to prevent the JI operatives from slipping out of Sulu.
“Dulmatin and Patek are still in the area based on the information we gathered,” Rafael said.
Rafael said JI operatives like to seek refuge in Sulu and nearby areas such as Tawi-tawi “because of the support they get (from the Abu Sayyaf).”
In return, JI operatives provide the Abu Sayyaf with logistics and technology on bomb-making.
Funding sources
The Abu Sayyaf, a self-styled Islamist group, has also found other sources of income, according to Allaga.
“They now also peddle drugs to youngsters,” he said.
Rafael said at the height of Oplan Ultimatum phase 1 in 2006, more than two hectares of land planted with marijuana were discovered in Sulu.
On Monday last week, Rafael said they again discovered marijuana plants during another operation.
Chief Supt. Adzar Albani, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Western Mindanao, confirmed that the Abu Sayyaf’s terror activities are now also being funded by money from narcotics. Julie Alipala with reports from Edwin Fernandez and Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao
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