A leader of a kidnap-for-ransom group in Zamboanga Sibugay with links to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was killed while two of his followers were wounded and eventually arrested following a clash with police commandos in Alicia town before dawn yesterday.
Supt. Rogelio Alabata, spokesman of the Zamboanga Peninsula region, said a member of the 84th Special Action Company of the Special Action Force identified as PO2 Larry Falitnang was also wounded in the clash.
“It was a law enforcement operation conducted against a known KFR group in Zamboanga Sibugay,” said Alabata.
Killed was Yasin Karim, who uses the aliases Imam Yasin, Commander Manbing and Commander Maas and was tagged as behind the series of abduction in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Police and military intelligence groups said the group of Karim has links with the ASG wherein their modus operandi is to kidnap hapless victims which will then later on turn over to the bandits.
Alabata said Karim was killed in the clash that erupted when police raided their lair in Sitio Tarla-Tarla in Barangay Tampalan while two of his followers identified as Auje Mohammad Abdulkarim and Morad Mohammad were wounded and later arrested. (Aaron Recuenco)