Troops hunting down at least 5 more JIs in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A handful of the Indonesian-based al-Qaeda-linked militants of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) are hiding with the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, a military official said yesterday.

"There may be more than five but so far, we have identified five of them," according to Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, 3rd Marine Brigade commander based in Sulu.

Sabban added the JI militants, which include Dulmatin and Umar Patek, are being sheltered by the Abu Sayyaf group in Jolo.

Dulmatin and Patek are wanted for assembling and detonating bombs in nightclubs in the Indonesian island resort of Bali in 2002, killing more than 200.

"Aside from Dulmatin and Umar Patek, there are a handful of other JI members working with the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu," he said.

Sabban said the reported death of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffi Janjalani has brought a big blow to the operation of the JI.

"Their operation has been disrupted with the reported death of Janjalani. He was their main contact," Sabban said.

Unlike Dulmatin and Patek, the other JI members are relatively low-profile.

"The Abu Sayyaf is protecting them because they cannot operate on their own in the Philippines," Sabban said.

Sabban said military intelligence confirmed the presence of the five JI members but the only ones whose names were released were those of Dulmatin and Patek.

The JI is believed to be the southeast Asian arm of the al-Qaeda terror network. The Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in the Philippines, also has links to al-Qaeda. — With James Mananghaya, AFP