Sayyaf leader behind Sabah abductions killed ?
Published on: Sunday, February 10, 2019
KOTA KINABALU: Abu Sayyaf terrorist Indang Susukan, known to have played major roles in several kidnap-for-ransom incidents involving Malaysians and foreigners in Sabah over the past decade, is presumed dead.
According to Philippine military intelligence reports, Indang was seriously injured following a military offensive in the Patikul village area, Sulu province and later died.
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Indang was injured in the Feb. 2 in the military offensive and was taken away from the fighting zone by Moro National Liberation Front commander Annuar Abdulah to another village in Talipao.
The reports said that Indang had apparently suffered complications from his injury and died in the Indanan area at around 8am on Feb. 4 (Monday).
“We believe that he is dead,” said a regional intelligence source citing reliable ground sources confirming that Indang Susukan was dead.
However, efforts are still under way to validate the ground intelligence claims.
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Indang, was believed to have been killed during President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against Abu Sayyaf two years ago but resurfaced late last year to arrange fresh kidnappings in waters off Sabah’s east coast.
The Philippines military operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo came after Manila blamed the militant group for the Jan 27 suicide bombing of a church in Jolo that left at least 22 dead and more than a hundred injured.
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The suicide attack was believed to have been carried out by an Indonesian couple with assistance from an Islamic State-linked group linked to the militants.
Indang’s group was responsible for the abduction of the Tung cousins from Negri Sembilan, who were kidnapped in 2012; Taiwanese Chang An Wei kidnapped in Pom Pom island in 2013; and Sarawakian Bernard Then, who was the only Malaysian to be beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf.
Late last year, Indang, working with Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Hatib Hajan Sawadjan, began to put together a new group of cross-border kidnappers amid talks that they were financed by a southern Philippines political warlords edgy over the newly-introduced Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), also known as Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Meanwhile, a ASG follower was killed while another was captured in a clash as government offensive continues against the ASG bandits behind the January 27 bombing of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu.
Col. Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, said the firefight occurred in Barangay Saying Susuk, Maimbung, Sulu at about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday.
Besana said the troops were conducting focused military operations against the church bombers when they clashed with a group of ASG bandits led by sub-leader Idang Susukan.
The firefight that lasted for about 20 minutes resulted in the death of an ASG bandit and the capture of ASG follower Murtasil Paradjil, who was injured during the firefight.
Government troops brought Paradjil to the Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Barangay Bus-Bus, Jolo, for treatment. Besana said the troops recovered three M-14 rifles, an M-16 rifle, and a bandolier with M-14 magazine and ammunition from the clash site.
He disclosed that a soldier was wounded during the firefight. No identity was released except that the wounded soldier belongs to the Army’s 41st Infantry Battalion.
The Joint Task Force Sulu said the ASG involved in Tuesday’s firefight was the same group that clashed with the Army’s 5th Scout Ranger Battalion on February 2.
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