Janjalani, Indonesian militants sighted in Jolo

The leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terror group and two Indonesian suspects of the deadly 2002 Bali bombings have been sighted recently on southern Jolo island but could not launch attacks because of logistical problems, officials said yesterday.

Khadaffy Janjalani and the two Indonesian militants — Dulmatin, who goes by one name, and Umar Patek — may be plotting to attack American and Philippine troops on Jolo but they have been constantly distracted by US-backed offensives, two Philippine military officials told reporters on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to talk to the media.

The militants also have run low on ammunition and other weapons, one of the officials said.

US Pacific commander Admiral William Fallon flew under heavy guard to Jolo yesterday to visit American troops, including those aboard the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, who were providing medical help to hundreds of impoverished villagers.

The humanitarian mission bolsters Washington’s efforts to improve its image in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries deemed crucial in the global war on terror.

Washington has offered multimillion-dollar rewards for the capture of Janjalani, Dulmatin and Patek.

Janjalani and the Indonesian militants have taken refuge in Jolo’s vast mountainous heartland near Patikul town — a rebel stronghold under control of Radulan Sahiron, a one-armed Abu Sayyaf commander also wanted by Washington, the military officials said.

Janjalani is wanted for allegedly masterminding several high-profile ransom kidnappings of Filipinos and Americans and deadly attacks, including the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people.

The two Indonesians are wanted for their alleged role in the 2002 Bali bomb attacks that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. They are believed to have fled to the southern Philippines after the attack to elude an Indonesian government manhunt, then forged an alliance with the Abu Sayyaf.

Janjalani and Sahiron have about 70 to 80 armed men with them, the military officials said. There are less than 200 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas on Jolo, with the rest belonging to two allied rebel factions based near Jolo’s Indanan town, they said.

Janjalani and the Indonesian militants, believed to be leaders of the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah group, had sought refuge in the sprawling marshland in the center of southern Mindanao region last year but were driven from the area to Jolo by a monthslong offensive, the officials said.

Their problems have been complicated by emerging differences between some Abu Sayyaf commanders and leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Jolo-based rebel group which signed a peace accord with the government in 1996 but continued to hold on to their arms and occasionally launch attacks against government troops, the officials said.

MNLF leaders now openly condemn Abu Sayyaf guerrillas although some members of the two groups are known to have blood ties. — AP