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| Southeast Asia | |
| Who were Kosovo, Global and Robot? | |
| 2005-03-16 | |
Andang, better known by his alias Commander Robot, and Sabdula, alias Commander Global, were allegedly involved in a 2000 raid on a Malaysian island resort of Sipadan in which 21 Western and Asian hostages were snatched. Global was also behind a 2001 mass kidnapping of several tourists, including three Americans, from a Palawan resort, among other kidnappings. Limbong, alias Commander Kosovo, was on trial for the Feb. 27, 2004 firebombing of a passenger ferry that claimed more than 100 lives — the country's worst terrorist attack — as well as the 2001 Palawan kidnapping. Two of three Americans in that Palawan raid were killed while in captivity. One of them was allegedly beheaded by Kosovo. Kosovo was involved in a mass kidnapping of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers in Sumisip, Basilan, in 2000. He was arrested last year along with five other Abu Sayyaf suspects who were allegedly planning a wave of bomb attacks on several civilian targets in Metro Manila. One of them had a list of alleged bombing targets, including the US and Israeli embassies, malls, an oil depot near Malacañang, Manila's airports, Congress, a power plant north of the capital, churches, passenger ships, hotels and television stations. Most of the Abu Sayyaf's kidnappings — including the Sipadan and Palawan raids — were allegedly planned by Global. He had a P5-million bounty on his head and was considered by security officials to be the Abu Sayyaf's mastermind. Global was arrested in 2002 along with two other Abu Sayyaf members in General Santos City. He was also believed to be the brains behind the 1994 raid on the town of Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur, the Abu Sayyaf's first major attack that put them in the headlines. Fifty-seven people were killed. Police and military sources say Global had contacts with Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, an alleged bomb maker of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian arm of the al-Qaeda terrorist network. In July 2003, Al-Ghozi escaped undetected from a Camp Crame cell, bringing huge embarrassment to the government. He was killed in a shootout with troops in North Cotabato a few months later that year. Among the three prison uprising leaders, Robot is one of the better known Abu Sayyaf figures because of the The deaths of Robot, Kosovo, and Global have whittled down the number of key Abu Sayyaf figures left for security forces to hunt down — among them, Khaddafy Janjalani, Radulan Sahiron and Jainal Sali, alias Abu Solaiman. Sali was in telephone contact with the prison uprising's three leaders, according to state prosecutor Leo Dacera. Last month, Sali went on the radio claiming responsibility for the Valentine's Day bombings that killed 13 people and wounded over 100 in the cities of Davao, General Santos and Makati. "We will find any means to inflict more harm to your people's lives and properties, Allah willing," he said in a statement read over the telephone. "We will not stop until we get justice for the countless Muslim lives and properties that your people have destroyed. May the almighty Allah punish your nation again through our hands." | |
| Posted by:seafarious |
| #1 Don't worry Sali. God willing, you will be following your "dearly" departured homies shortly. |
| Posted by: radrh8r 2005-03-16 12:08:33 PM |