Philippine troops have captured a major camp of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, a military commander said Friday. The mountain stronghold of the Muslim extremist group outside Indanan town on southern Jolo island was overrun Thursday by about 400 soldiers from the army's 53rd Infantry Battalion, said Jolo military chief Brig. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala. About 100 Abu Sayyaf defenders broke up into small groups as troops, backed by helicopter gunships firing rockets, assaulted the camp on top of the Budkaha mountain, about 940 kilometers (580 miles) south of Manila, Dema-ala said. He said there were no government casualties.Civilians fleeing the fighting reported seeing some wounded gunmen. The camp "is the symbol of power of the Abu Sayyaf group, which provided sanctuary to lawless elements on Jolo,'' Dema-ala said. The capture of the base "shows the will of the government to assert itself in imposing the laws of the law and the determination of the government to go after violators of the law,'' he said. Treetops cover the mountain hideout from the air. The camp, which could accommodate as many as 1,000 people, is also used for guerrilla training and includes a network of foxholes, trenches and bunkers, Dema-ala said.
The military pounded the area with artillery two days earlier to prepare for the assault on the camp, which has been used by Umbra Jumdail, alias Dr. Abu, who was among the Abu Sayyaf leaders involved in the abduction of Western tourists from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan in 2000. The camp is also a sanctuary for local Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad, whose gunmen killed three soldiers on security patrol in Indanan on Feb. 19. On Tuesday, Misuari told a group of lawmakers that he had no role in the clashes, calling them retaliatory attacks for alleged army abuses and anti-insurgency operations that left innocent civilians dead. The military claims pro-Misuari rebels were in alliance with the Abu Sayyaf, but Misuari has denied the link.