MANILA: A senior Abu Sayyaf operative and four members of the militant group believed to be behind the deadly bombing of a church in the southern Philippines surrendered to authorities over the weekend, the national police chief said on Monday.
Kammah Pae, whom authorities believe to
have aided an Indonesian couple in the Jan 27 suicide attack, gave himself up
to government troops, Oscar Albayalde said.
“He was forced to surrender,” Albayalde
told a media briefing. “He probably didn’t want to die during the military
offensive.”
Philippine troops killed three suspected
Abu Sayyaf militants and suffered five fatalities in a firefight on Saturday in
Patikul, a town in the province of Sulu as troops pursued those behind the
church attack.
Albayalde said Kammah denied involvement
in the twin bombings at the Jolo cathedral that killed 23 people, including
civilians and soldiers, but eyewitnesses’ accounts showed he escorted the
Indonesian couple.
Security forces also retrieved an
improvised explosive device (IED) and components from his home, Albayalde
added.
The five suspects will face multiple
murder charges, among others, Albayalde said. However, the investigation into
the church bombing in Sulu, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, is “far
from over,” he added.
Abu Sayyaf is a militant organisation
notorious for kidnappings and extremist factions and has pledged allegiance to
Islamic State.
Source: Free Malaysia Today - 4 February
2019
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