Military authorities are trying to verify an intelligence report that the leader of the al-Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf group has been killed in an air raid, an official said yesterday. Col. Jerry Jalandoni, commander of the Army’s 604th Brigade, quoted one of the military’s “informants” as claiming that Khaddafy Janjalani’s “body was severed (cut in half)” last month during an air strike on a rebel hideout near the Liguasan Marsh in Mindanao. A Malacañang official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, could not hide his glee over Janjalani’s reported death. “Sana totoo na nga (I hope that is true), but we have no proof,” the official said. On Nov. 19, Air Force MG-520 attack helicopters launched bombing raids on Butilen marsh in Datu Piang, in response to an intelligence report that the elusive Abu Sayyaf chieftain was meeting there with operatives of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. Quoting statements from informants, Jalandoni said Janjalani was “directly hit” during the air strike in the area, a known stronghold of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Full Story
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