Word: basilan
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...that Manila had trapped the group?offering the prospect of ridding the country for good of this band of seafaring bandits who work with the zeal of holy warriors. On June 3, more than 5,000 soldiers had the outlaws cornered in a hospital at Lamitan, a town on Basilan island, about 900 km south of Manila. All the army had to do was tighten the siege and the guerrillas would have been forced to surrender the hostages they had plucked from an island resort a few days before. But commanders dropped the ball big time. Sometime before dawn...
...Janjalani in 1998. That exacerbates Arroyo's challenge. Even if her government manages to capture the current rebels, there are two more outfits ready to kidnap and kill in the future. "It was easier to deal with them when they had a single leader?and an ideology," says a Basilan politician. "Now, these guys are in it for the money, and there's no stopping them...
...marijuana?accepted Janjalani as their chief. Abu Sayyaf's increasing notoriety attracted the notice of fellow comrades-in-arms from the Afghan war. Bin Laden's brother-in-law and trusted aide, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, set up the Al-Maktum university in Zamboanga, a 30-minute boat ride from Basilan island...
...Janjalani was shot down by police in 1998. Since then, say Philippine counter-terrorism experts, Abu Sayyaf's ties with international Islamic terrorism may have broken. At the same time, leadership of the group splintered into two main factions: the first, which is currently holding the hostages in Basilan, has a figurehead in Janjalani's younger brother, Khadaffy. But the real chief is Abu Sabaya, a former media communications student who worked in Saudi Arabia before gravitating to the Afghan training camps. A cleric familiar with the group's history says that Abu Sabaya, whose real name is Ahmad Salayudi...
...from 50 pesos to 25. Another Sulu island commander is Raddulan Sahirun. In his 60s, Raddulan wears two revolvers around his waist like a fast-draw artist, even though he is missing an arm. Manila Security experts claim that these two commanders might either reinforce the hostage-takers on Basilan island or throw the Philippine government into greater disarray by attacking another tourist beach resort and grabbing more hostages. Either way, Arroyo's soldiers may have blown their best chance to finish off Abu Sayyaf. It's an opportunity that may not repeat itself anytime soon...