BASILAN: Two Philippine military choppers dropped some 14,000 leaflets on Thursday over a large area in Basilan province urging citizens to help authorities recapture 28 Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Moro rebels who bolted jail last week.
Authorities have offered as much as 10 million pesos reward to anyone who can provide information about the prisoners, who were among 31 that escaped from the provincial jail on De. 13. Troops had killed one prisoner — an Abu Sayyaf militant — and captured another two this week in Isabela City in Basilan.
Two military choppers dropped leaflets over six towns in Basilan and foot soldiers posted wanted Abu Sayyaf posters around Isabela. “This is part of our campaign to track down terrorists who escaped from jail,” said Lt. Col. Gamal Hayudini, commander of the military’s Civil Relations Group in Western Mindanao.
Hayudini led soldiers in the distribution of leaflets — both written in local dialect and English — in the capital city of Isabela. The leaflets contained the names of those who bolted prison and their corresponding rewards from 100,000 pesos to two million pesos and phone numbers for citizens to tell authorities about the prisoners. Security forces clashed with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan on Wednesday leaving three militants and a soldier dead, said Brig. Gen. Eugene Clemen, commander of military forces in the province. “The operation against the terrorists is continuing. The hunt for the jail breakers and their rescuers are going on,” he said.
On Tuesday, authorities rewarded 350,000 pesos to a civilian who helped security forces track down two prisoners in Isabela City. Philippine Navy regional chief Alexander Pama and Marine Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino handed the reward to the man, his face covered to prevent a possible retaliation by Abu Sayyaf.
The prisoners escaped after more than 100 gunmen stormed the provincial jail in the village of Sumagdang in Isabela City. A jail guard and one of the attackers were killed in the raid. Authorities said the attack was carried out by the Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels.
The MILF denied it was involved in the raid, but admitted that one of those who escaped from the jail was a rebel commander, Dan Asnawi, accused by the military of beheading 10 soldiers in a firefight in Basilan. Police and jail officials said another MILF rebel — Kamsa Limaya — also escaped together with the others, but Kabalu said the prisoner is not their member. Limaya is said to be involved in the July 2007 beheading of the soldiers in the town of Al Barka.
It was the fourth time in five years that prisoners had escaped from the provincial jail. At least 3 Abu Sayyaf prisoners — tagged as behind the beheading of 10 soldiers in Basilan — also escaped in December 2008 from the provincial jail after overpowering their guards.
