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Militant leader's house raided in southern Philippines
Police on Friday raided the home of a former militant leader Nur Misuari as clearing operations continue in villages that hundreds of gunmen occupied in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.Misuari's house in the village of San Roque was empty, but raiders seized many documents. It was not immediately known whether police found any weapons or explosives in the house. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca said, "The subject of the search warrant is explosives, components for improvised explosive devices, unlicensed firearms and documents. We have recovered several items." He said security forces set off a charge on the front gate to be able to enter the sprawling compound which was heavily guarded by former militants in the past. Several towers can be seen from the outside the house despite its tall wall. Inside the compound were several small buildings, a basketball court, and MNLF streamers and tarpaulin signs. The area has been under heavy guard since September 9 when hundreds of Misuari's supporters led by his lieutenant Ustadz Khabir Malik stormed several villages and took more than 200 people hostage. Subsequent fighting left more than 400 people dead and injured and resulted in a humanitarian crisis following the exodus of more than 100,000 villagers. Posted by: ryuge 2013-10-05 |
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