MANILA, Philippines - Two top Jemayah Islamiyah (JI) terrorists reportedly killed in a US-assisted bombing operation in Sulu early last month are alive, unimpeachable sources in the intelligence community said yesterday.
Several ground contacts in Sulu said Zulkifli Bin Abdul Hir also known as Marwan, and Muhamda Ali alias Muawiya were only injured in the raid at their lair in Parang town last Feb. 2.
[Contrary to our earlier findings, the two JIs are still alive and in fact are now planning to relocate their terror operations back to mainland Mindanao,” one of the intelligence sources said.
Sources in Sulu said they have intercepted and monitored a telephone call of Muawiya to his wife, saying that he and Marwan are alive.
In the telephone conversation, Muawiya, a Singaporean of Indian decent, also told his wife that US and Filipino troops must have a mole within the Abu Sayyaf, whom they accused of planting a homing device for “smart bombs” aimed at their gathering in Sitio Lanao Bato, Barangay Lanao Dakula.
Another source said Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail alias Dr. Abu almost escaped the raid alive, but a mango tree that a smart bomb had hit and uprooted pinned him down. The bombs were dropped from two OV-10 aircraft.
“Only Dr. Abu’s son and those nearest to him were hit because the homing device was placed in their vicinity,” said the source.
The source said the two top Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists are now planning to relocate to mainland Mindanao.
“They are planning to return to the mainland because they are no longer sure of the loyalty of the Abu Sayyaf,” one of the sources said.
Meanwhile, Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, AFP spokesman, maintained the two top JI leaders were among the fatalities in the bombing operations.
“For as long as there is no proof of life to counter our own findings, we maintain that the two along with other Abu Sayyaf are dead,” he said.
In 2007, a US court indicted Marwan, 46, along with his brother Rahmat for conspiring and providing support to terrorists.
The US government offered a $5-million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Muawiya, on the other hand, served as translator of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sulu in 2009.