[BenarNews] A top communist guerrilla leader wanted for a series of attacks in the southern Philippines has been arrested along with three others including a Christian bishop.
Rommel Salinas, identified as the secretary general of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in Mindanao, was arrested by a joint police and military operation Thursday evening near the city of Ozamiz, about 750 miles of Manila. Also arrested were Bishop Carlo Morales of the local Iglesia Filipina Independiente, his wife and the driver of the van the group rode in. Authorities confiscated a hand grenade, mobile phones, battery packs, a city map and almost $2,000 from the four suspects.
Brig. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista said Salinas was the top-ranking commander of the communists' armed wing, the New People's Army, and was believed to be in charge of a range of terrorist activities in the region.
Salinas was allegedly "involved in numerous high-profile crimes" and a local court had issued at least five warrants for his arrest. Bautista said Salinas "was the most wanted NPA commander" in western Mindanao.
The arrest of Bishop Morales sparked outrage in his church, during which the clergy ordered its members to immediately travel to the regional police office to demand his freedom. The church also posted a photo of a handcuffed Bishop Morales on its social media page and said the four were not allowed to make phone calls to seek legal assistance.
The arrests came a day after four NPA militants were killed in separate clashes with troops also in the south Wednesday, some two weeks after the gunmen attacked three rubber manufacturing facilities in the southern city of Davao, killing a civilian.
Sultan Kudarat provincial police commander Raul Supiter said fighting broke out when NPA rebels attacked a Marine contingent patroling the area. A 30-minute firefight ensued, resulting in the death of two militants. Two other guerrillas were also killed in a clash in the city of Malaybalay.
Continued on Page 47
[Philippine Star] The Philippine military pummeled Abu Sayyaf lairs in Basilan on Thursday, killing at least 20 militants in what was called a “shock and awe” airstrike by F-50 fighters followed by an artillery barrage. Troops also seized an Abu Sayyaf camp in Barangay Pamatsaken in the hinterlands of Sumisip, which was hastily abandoned by fleeing rebels under Furuji Indama.
President Duterte had earlier ordered the military to "shoot on sight" Abu Sayyaf militants amid travel warnings issued by the US, Britain, Canada and Australia about plots to kidnap foreigners and conduct bombings in Bohol, Cebu and Palawan.
Col. Juvymax Uy said special forces under initially penetrated the camp before dawn on Thursday, then assaulted the Abu Sayyaf rebels who were having breakfast. The soldiers breached the camp perimeter and inched closer to about 100 meters from the makeshift tents. A gun battle broke out as the troops took the militants by surprise.
FA-50 jets launched the shock and awe airstrike and delivered rounds of rocket bombs against the Abu Sayyaf position. The airstrikes were immediately followed with artillery and mortar fire, inflicting additional casualties to the rebels.
Bloodstains were found in the vicinity. Intelligence reports said there were about 20 Abu Sayyaf fatalities from the combined airstrikes and indirect fires.
The military recovered three live improvised explosive devices that were rigged around the camp as booby traps. One IED was accidentally triggered and exploded, injuring two soldiers.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: ryuge ||
05/14/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11133 views]
Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf (ISIS)
This story is a few days old. I'll post a more recent follow-up article tomorrow.
[The Nation] About 50 people were hurt by a massive car bomb outside a department store in Thailand's Pattani province Tuesday afternoon that caused widespread damage. The bombers used a common militant tactic – triggering a small initial explosive inside the Big C department store, which sent shoppers running outside, before the second bomb concealed in a pickup parked at an entrance door was detonated.
The first bomb also seemed intended to distract authorities ahead of the second much bigger blast.
The attack took place at the store in Muang district at a time when the store was crowded with parents and children looking for school items including uniforms in preparation for the new semester. Among the dozens of people wounded by the bombs were store staff, at least one of whom was seriously injured, as well as many children.
Regional security spokesman Pramote Prom-in said the bombers were intent on mass killing. He said, "The bombers parked the pickup in front of the entrance of the store, clearly showing their intention of mass killing. However, the suspicious vehicle was spotted and people were evacuated from the area in time before the second explosion."
Initial reports from rescue workers said no one had been killed while 30 people, including store staff, were wounded. The number injured was later put at 50.
The first blast was caused by a large firecracker that diverted attention, allowing the bombers to move the pickup to the store entrance. He said the second bomb was hidden in a bag in the pickup.
Facebook user Montakanti Kasemsuk, who captured the second blast on Facebook Live, said she was about to leave the store when the first bomb exploded. She then stayed in the parking lot and began recording the incident. Her video initially showed people outside of the store in the Big C parking lot after the first blast. When the second bomb went off near her, her video clip captured a ball of fire before the video became shaky as she ran from the scene.
Continued on Page 47
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[BenarNews] A top communist guerrilla leader wanted for a series of attacks in the southern Philippines has been arrested along with three others including a Christian bishop.
[Philippine Star] The Philippine military pummeled Abu Sayyaf lairs in Basilan on Thursday, killing at least 20 militants in what was called a “shock and awe” airstrike by F-50 fighters followed by an artillery barrage. Troops also seized an Abu Sayyaf camp in Barangay Pamatsaken in the hinterlands of Sumisip, which was hastily abandoned by fleeing rebels under Furuji Indama.
