By Ronron
May 24, 2007
Two suspected local members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) died after their lair in Compostela Valley province was raided by military troops on Wednesday morning.
Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, Public Information Officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said yesterday that joint elements of the 10th Scout Rangers Company and Military Intelligence Group 11 launched the operation at 7am the other day (Wednesday) in Sitio Tigpa, Barangay Napnapan, Pantukan town after receiving information that more or less JI members are hiding there.
Bacarro said the military operatives swooped down on two nipa huts at said place, where the suspected lawless terrorists were positively sighted.
“They are Filipino contacts of the JI. They are Filipino trainers and bombers,” Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the First Scout Ranger Regiment, said of the suspects in a phone interview yesterday.
He said among them are brothers Moamar “Omar” Venancio, alias Khalil, and Hassan Venancio, who are both suspects in the 2005 Davao City bombing.
Asked if the 10 also include foreign JI members, Mapagu said: “That is our suspicion.”
Mapagu said when the suspects noticed the arriving government troops, they opened fire, resulting to a 15-minute exchange of gunfire
Two of the suspects were killed while the rest managed to escape, said Mapagu. One of the fatalities was recovered by responding elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the clearing operations and was identified as Abdul Salarbi. The other one is still being located.
From the government side, one soldier was wounded, said Mapagu.
Recovered from one of the nipa huts were two M16 rifles and a loaded rocket-propelled grenade launcher, Mapagu said.
Mapagu said they have yet to ascertain what the group was up to in Compostela Valley, which is only known to be infested with communist rebels historically./DMS
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