Philippine troops wound top al-Qaida-linked militant
JOLO, Philippines—A top al-Qaida-linked militant long hunted by U.S. and Filipino troops was wounded during a military attack on a rebel encampment in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said Thursday.
Philippine troops bombarded the Abu Sayyaf camp with artillery and mortar fire near Jolo island's Indanan township on Wednesday, killing at least one militant and wounding rebel commander Isnilon Hapilon in the hand, regional military spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara said.
At least one Filipino soldier was wounded in ensuing clashes, he said.
Washington has offered a $5 million reward for Hapilon, who has been accused of involvement in the abduction of 17 Filipinos and three Americans in May 2001.
Batara said soldiers were trying to verify reports of other casualties among the Islamist rebels.
There were reports that Hapilon's son, an Abu Sayyaf member identified as Tabari, may have been killed, but the military has not been able to confirm that, he said.
Marine Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of military forces on the island, said he ordered the attack after intelligence reports indicated an "unusual convergence" of Abu Sayyaf commanders and a top Indonesian terrorism suspect, Umar Patek, who might be plotting an attack.
About 100 to 150 militants were at the encampment when it was attacked. Several explosives in a bomb-making facility in the encampment were destroyed by artillery and mortar fire, Sabban said.
"The important thing is we managed to dismantle the bomb-making facility," Sabban told The Associated Press by telephone from Jolo. "They were up to something big."
Troops were pursuing the militants, who fled in small groups, he said.
The Abu Sayyaf, which is estimated to have 380 fighters -- down from 1,000 eight years ago -- is believed to have launched its last major attack in February 2005 with simultaneous bombings in Manila and two southern cities that killed eight people and wounded more than 100.
Despite problems, the guerrillas are continuing to plot attacks, including against American soldiers who have been providing counterterrorism training to Filipino troops in the country's volatile south, police said.
Washington has listed Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization. Philippine military and police officials say the group -- which seeks a separate state for the country's Muslim minority -- has received training and funds from al-Qaida militants in the past.
