‘Slain’ JI leader Dulmatin still alive - Marine chief

Dulmatin, a senior leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah who the military claimed to have killed two years ago, is still alive based on "latest reports," a ranking military official said on Tuesday. Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban said Dulmatin is possibly living with one of his wives in Sulu in southern Philippines, a known lair of the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandits. "From my sources, he [Dulmatin] is still in Sulu. Remember we got his wife in Sulu? I think he has other wives, Tausug wives, and we are still validating that," Sabban told reporters in an interview at the Navy Golf Club in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Dulmatin was reportedly killed following a clash with Marine soldiers in Tawi-Tawi in 2008. Tissue samples from the recovered body had been submitted to US experts for DNA test. The US findings, according to Sabban, were inconclusive. "Their [US] report s non-conclusive so we are not sure if he [Dulmatin] is dead or alive. Of course, in case of doubt, we still pursue the reports that we receive," he said. Aside from Dulmatin, another JI personality, Omar Patek, is also in Sulu and alleedly being coddled by the Abu Sayyaf. Both the JI and the Abu Sayyaf have links with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network. Dulmatin and Patek have reportedly funded a number of bombings by the Abu Sayyaf in the country. The US government has put up a $10 million reward for Dulmatin’s neutralization and $1 million for Patek. Sabban said the Abu Sayyaf is now divided into factions due to lack of a true leader. "I believe the Abu Sayyaf is not as cohesive as before," he said. He said they have received reports that Dr. Abu, a senior leader of the group, had distanced himself from fellow leader Albader Parad due to the latter’s illegal activities that included bombings and kidnappings. "Right now, I cannot even consider Albader Parad as an ideologue because we treat him just like an ordinary bandit. Even up to now, Dr.Abu distances himself from Albader because they do not like what Albader is doing," Sabban said. - KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV