Filipino militant's killing cripples Abu Sayyaf
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A young, brash militant who gained notoriety after posing for cameras with three Red Cross hostages became the latest casualty of U.S.-backed Philippine military assaults that have slowly eliminated the country's most wanted terrorist suspects.
Albader Parad is best remembered as head of a faction of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group who demanded a ransom last year for the release of the Red Cross workers - a Swiss, an Italian and a Filipino. All three were freed after months in jungle captivity despite threats to behead them.
A special operations platoon on Sunday crawled within 30 yards (meters) of a forest hut on southern Jolo Island and opened fire after receiving intelligence that Parad and senior leader Umbra Jumdail were meeting, military officials said.
At the end of the hourlong gunfight, Parad and five other militants, including Jumdail's brother, lay dead. Parad's body was later identified by four civilians, said regional military commander Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino. A marine also was killed.
"This will be a big blow to the Abu Sayyaf," Dolorfino said Monday. "He was the most visible among the leaders. The fear of the people for the Abu Sayyaf is represented by the face of Albader, which always comes out in newspapers.
My Way News - Filipino militant's killing cripples Abu Sayyaf
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A young, brash militant who gained notoriety after posing for cameras with three Red Cross hostages became the latest casualty of U.S.-backed Philippine military assaults that have slowly eliminated the country's most wanted terrorist suspects.
Albader Parad is best remembered as head of a faction of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group who demanded a ransom last year for the release of the Red Cross workers - a Swiss, an Italian and a Filipino. All three were freed after months in jungle captivity despite threats to behead them.
A special operations platoon on Sunday crawled within 30 yards (meters) of a forest hut on southern Jolo Island and opened fire after receiving intelligence that Parad and senior leader Umbra Jumdail were meeting, military officials said.
At the end of the hourlong gunfight, Parad and five other militants, including Jumdail's brother, lay dead. Parad's body was later identified by four civilians, said regional military commander Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino. A marine also was killed.
"This will be a big blow to the Abu Sayyaf," Dolorfino said Monday. "He was the most visible among the leaders. The fear of the people for the Abu Sayyaf is represented by the face of Albader, which always comes out in newspapers.
My Way News - Filipino militant's killing cripples Abu Sayyaf
