Courtesy of Malaysia’s Eastern Sabah Security Command and the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Comm
Security forces in Sabah captured eight suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, as well as eight women and 21 children, found hiding in a swamp area over the weekend, after Philippine authorities tipped them off that the men were in Malaysia, officials said Monday.
Sabah Police Commissioner Hazani Ghazali said the raid occurred early Saturday.
“Philippine authorities had confirmed that the eight had snuck into Sabah to escape arrest following operations against ASG members,” Hazani told reporters, referring to the Abu Sayyaf Group.
“All 37 comprising the eight men with 29 others – eight women and the remainder children – were caught hiding in a swamp area in the Beaufort district of Sabah,” he told BenarNews. “Authorities are still checking if the 29 have family ties to the eight suspects.”
MANILA: The Philippine military on Monday said that close cooperation with Malaysia’s security forces led to the arrest of two notorious Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) sub-leaders involved in high-profile crimes.
The Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) identified the two arrested ASG sub-leaders as Sansibar Bensio and Mabar Binda, who led the kidnapping of several local and foreign nationals, including two European birdwatchers.
Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., Wesmincom commander, said that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) responded to information provided by the Philippine military’s Joint Task Force Sulu (JTF-Sulu) about the presence of the ASG militants in the area, after which a special police operation was launched.