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| Southeast Asia |
| 2 missing after Abu Sayyaf rebels torch Basilan sawmill |
| 2017-07-22 |
| [NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET] Two persons went missing when Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... gunnies stormed a sawmill in Maluso, Basilan ...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts... on Thursday, authorities said Friday. Maluso Mayor Hanie Bud told the Inquirer that Dodong Divinagracia, 50; and his son, Ily, 25, were manning the sawmill when Abu Sayyaf gunnies came and set the place on fire. "We are waiting for updates as the military and barangay (village) officials concerned are still in the area," Bud said. Supt. Nickson Muksan, the Basilan police chief, said a civilian had reported that the gunnies included Abu Sayyaf members Pasil Bayali and a certain Otoh Dobol and that the Divinagracias were taken as hostages. |
| Posted by:Fred |