MAGUINDANAO – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has killed a notorious Filipino bomber inside one of its stronghold in Maguindanao province in the restive Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines.
One of the MILF’s senior commanders identified only as Baroq killed Abdul Basit Usman – who was also a former leader of the rebel group – in the town of Guindulungan.
Details of the killing were unclear, but a cease-fire committee member of the MILF has confirmed the slaying of Usman, a leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and head of the local ISIS group called Ansarul Khilafah.
Baroq is said to be under the MILF’s 118th Base Command, whose members were implicated in the killings of 44 special police commandos in Maguindanao’s Mamasapano town during a clandestine anti-terror operation in January 25 that targeted Malaysian bomber Marwan.
The Philippine military has not issued any statement about the reported slaying of Usman, who is also wanted by the United States in connection with terror activities in Mindanao.
Washington has offered up to $1 million reward for Usman’s capture.
“Abdul Basit Usman, a Filipino citizen, is a bomb-making expert with links to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organizations operating in the southern Philippines. Due to these associations, U.S. authorities consider Basit to be a threat to U.S. and Filipino citizens and interests. Basit is believed to have orchestrated several bombings that have killed, injured, and maimed many innocent civilians.”
“Basit has been indicted in the Philippines for his role in multiple bombing incidents since 2003, and the Government of the Philippines has issued a warrant for his arrest. He is believed to be hiding in central Mindanao,” according to the United States Rewards for Justice Program.
Usman was previously reported by the military to have been wounded in a clash with soldiers in Lanao province. Politicians are expected to ride on the reports of Usman’s killings and even the military and the government may try to grab credit for the killing of one of the country’s top terror leaders to say that its anti-terror campaign is successful. (Mindanao Examiner)
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