BY MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
Government troops running after Mundi Sawadjaan, a bomb expert tagged in the deadly twin blasts in Indanan town last month, successfully overran a harbor site of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu on Tuesday.
Brigadier General William Gonzales, commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu, said elements of 5th Scout Ranger Battalion under the 1101st Infantry Brigade (IBgde) seized the ASG camp where Sawadjaan’s 40-member group is believed to have stayed for three days while being pursued by the soldiers.
Sawadjaan is being chased by the military after he allegedly masterminded the August 24 twin bombings at a plaza in Indanan, which resulted in the killing of 17 people, including two suicide bombers, and wounding of 80 others.
“The Joint Task Force Sulu’s pursuit operation following the twin bombing in Jolo last August 24 is gaining tactical victories,” Gonzales declared.
Gonzales said the troops took control of the ASG lair around 9 a.m. where they found leftover food and various personal belongings.
Over the weekend, Sawadjaan’s group was encountered by elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion in Patikul, Sulu.
Meanwhile, since August 25, three ASG members were confirmed killed in encounters initiated by the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion in Patikul.
Gomzales said pursuit military operations against Sawadjaan were ongoing using all land, sea, and air assets of JTF Sulu.
“We are employing the full force of JTF Sulu’s military assets to track down the group of Mundi Sawadjaan,” he said.
