A suspected facilitator and bomb expert of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to the Abu Sayyaf Group was killed in Patikul, Sulu last Friday.
Talha Jumsah, alias “Abu Talha,” a high-value target of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Sulu, was slain during an encounter with the Philippine Army 1st Scout Ranger Battalion in Sitio Tubig Amu, Barangay Tanum at around 5 a.m.
The cadaver of Abu Talha was recovered 800 meters away from the encounter site at around 8:30 a.m. yesterday in a follow-up operation conducted by the Army 1101st Infantry Brigade.
Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the 1101st IB, said they received a tip from concerned Tausug informants about the presence of Abu Talha and his group in the area.
A combat operation was immediately launched to neutralize him. Nafarrete said members of the community acted as guides during the conduct of combat operations.
Soldiers chanced upon Abu Talha’s group which elected to fight instead of surrendering, leading to the target’s death.
“The death of Abu Talha will surely cause demoralization in the ASG ranks in Sulu. It could not have been made possible without the support of the Tausug community,” Nafarrete said.
Abu Talha is also an ISIS-trained improvised explosive device expert who served as an instructor to the ASG in the fabrication of more lethal and destructive explosives. Nafarrete said the IEDs used by ASG “caused tremendous casualties” during the recent suicide bombings in Sulu.
Abu Talha served as the finance conduit and liaison between foreign and local terrorist communication lines, Nafarrete added. (Martin A. Sadongdong)
