[Arab News] MANILA: A key leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), believed to have been involved in the Jan. 27 twin bombings of a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines, was killed in a military offensive in southern Sulu island, authorities said on Thursday.Maj. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ‐ Joint Task Force Sulu, said information had been received about Indang Susukan’s death.
However, the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), the police force that tracks the ASG, could not confirm the reports of Susukan’s death. "We’re still validating the information," an AKG official told Arab News.
Susukan belonged to one of the main ASG factions on the Sulu islands, commanded by Hatib Hajjan Sawadjaan.
Authorities said Sawadjaan deployed the two alleged suicide bombers from Indonesia to carry out the attack on Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, which killed 23 people and wounded more than 100.
Following the bombings, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government troops to crush the ASG and other militant groups on the island of Mindanao.
On Feb. 2, the military engaged approximately 100 ASG members in a fierce gunbattle in the jungles of Patikul town in Sulu.
Five soldiers and three ASG gunmen were killed, while 18 were wounded from the government side and 15 from the group, including Susukan. According to intelligence reports, he succumbed to his wounds on Feb. 4.
Pabayo said an announcement will be made when the information is confirmed, adding that Susukan was linked to high-profile kidnapping cases.