Troops arrest 2 wives of Abu Sayyaf leader Parad

MANILA, Philippines – Government troops arrested two wives of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Albader Parad hours after Tuesday's early morning bombing in Sulu that killed two people and injured several others, officials said Thursday. Members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 seized Parad’s wives at a checkpoint in Barangay Tagbak in Indanan, Sulu at 1 p.m. Tuesday, roughly five hours after the bombing in Jolo town, said Superintendent Danilo Bacas, police operations chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Authorities are eyeing the Abu Sayyaf as responsible for the explosion. Parad's faction has been linked to various abductions in the past, including the kidnapping of three International Committee of the Red Cross workers in January. Swiss Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba have been freed, but Italian Eugenio Vagni remains with the captors. A field report submitted by Maj. Gen. Juancho M. Sabban, the commander of Joint Task Force Comet to Navy chief Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez identified those arrested as Rowena “Honey" Aksan and Nursima “Simang" Annudden – Parad's 1st and 3rd wives, respectively. Also arrested were Rabia Polalon Asiri and Marwina Salasain – wife of Alvin Bagadi and of Alhabsy Misaya (both men are alleged urban terrorism and demolition experts), respectively; Madrimar Bagadi (Alvin's brother), and Midsfar Aksan (Rowena Aksan's bother). Rowena Aksan was identified to have allegedly taken part in the consummated kidnapping of ICRC workers Lacaba, Notter, and Vagni on Jan. 15, 2009 in Patikul. She was also positively identified and seen inside Abu Sayyaf camps; and have taken care of Lacaba. All the persons arrested are suspected to have provided logistical and service support in terms of vehicle, purchase and delivery of food and similar commodities to their bandit Abu Sayyaf cohorts. Sabban’s report said the suspected militants did not resist arrest. According to Bacas, Parad's two wives have undergone tactical interrogation by the women's desk of the Sulu provincial police. State prosecutors are still studying whether any complaint can be filed against the two, who Bacas said are currently detained at the 3rd headquarters of the 3rd Marine Brigade. The bombing in Sulu last Tuesday is only one of many since Saturday night. On Sunday morning, an improvised explosive device exploded in Cotabato City, killing six people and injuring at least 29 others. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV