AFP cordons off Basilan sites, pursues Abu with elite force

(Updated 6:09 p.m.) Government troops have cordoned off the sites of at least three attacks in the southern Philippine province of Basilan that left 14 people dead, even as the Armed Forces deployed elite forces to pursue the attackers, the military said Wednesday. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the military has started pursuit operations against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, the group blamed for the attacks. "Nagdagdag ng tropa sa lugar. Ang importante na-secure ang lugar na pinangyarihan, na-cordon na rin. Ang pursuit operations nagsimula at nagdagdag tayo ng pwersa sa paligid (We added troops in the area. What is important is that we cordoned off and secured the areas. We have also started pursuit operations and added forces in the vicinity)," Burgos said in an interview on dwIZ radio. "Na-intensify namin ang intelligence information collection effort at security operations (We intensified our intelligence collection and security efforts)," he said. The latest military count as of Wednesday placed the death toll at 14— three Abu Sayyaf suspects, three Marines, one policeman, and seven civilians—and about 15 others injured. The three Abu Sayyaf suspects were killed when their bomb accidentally exploded. In a separate telephone interview, Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said the military has also enhanced security measures in Lamitan City and Maluso town, which it considers as vulnerable targets for the Abu Sayyaf. “We are looking carefully [at] the more or less vulnerable areas… We don’t want to alarm the people but the area that we are looking into is Lamitan and Maluso. Those are the areas… that may be the subject of their attacks. But we are not letting our guards down. The operations that we are doing are continuing," he added. Arevalo added that two companies—one from US-trained Light Reaction Battalion (LRB) and another from the First Scout Ranger Regiment—arrived in Basilan from Zamboanga City on Wednesday morning to augment the Marine units pursuing the attackers. “Those two more elite companies will help more on the conduct of pursuit operation…Those additional will augment our combat operation… They will join us (Marines) in the conduct of the operation," said Arevalo. Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu said the LRB, which is considered as the military’s rapid-deployment force, is “well-equipped" and into “constant training." The military said it sees the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group’s hand in the series of attacks in Basilan. AFP officials pointed to an Abu Sayyaf group led by Furuji Indama as the actual perpetrators. [See: Military tags Abu Sayyaf in Basilan explosions] Western Mindanao commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said around six Abu Sayyaf bandits, wearing police uniforms, were supposed to carry out a kidnapping mission in the area. But an improvised explosive device the suspects were carrying “accidentally" went off near the Basilan National High School grandstand in Isabela City shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday. On the other hand, Abu Sayyaf bandits disguised as policemen and Army soldiers detonated explosives and opened fire Tuesday in Isabela City in Basilan, triggering clashes with security forces. Arevalo said Indama’s group had split into two groups, both of which were sighted in the outskirts of Lamitan City where the pursuit operations are now focused. “The pursuit operations that we are conducting are relentless…The two groups that we’ve sighted are not that big," Arevalo said, adding that Indama is with one of the groups based on information from 1st Marine Brigade chief Brig. Gen. Eugenio Clemen. “We have sightings on the group of Furuji Indama. We have two sightings of two groups but they are no longer in Isabela City. They are already in Lamitan City but in the outskirts of Lamitan City. We are monitoring it and our pursuit operations are continuing," he said. Arevalo also said that the Navy has deployed units to block the possible escape of Indama’s group from Basilan island and the possible entry of more Abu Sayyaf forces from other areas. “We have Navy vessels, with Navy Seals, patrolling the area. They are conducting maritime interdictions, meaning we are checking on suspicious-moving vessels, bancas or boats in the area…to make sure that they (Abu Sayyaf) won’t have reinforcements or prevent those who want to escape," he said. “We have restored normalcy in downtown Basilan, particularly in Isabela City. We owe this to the immediate response yesterday from our security personnel but we are not letting our guards down," he added. Earlier on Tuesday, Dolorfino assured the public that the situation in the area has "normalized," even as members of a crisis management committee in Zamboanga City had convened to help in the investigation of the incident.— LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV