Sayyaf bandits attack Basilan capital; 4 hurt

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Mortar explosions rocked the island-province of Basilan as Abu Sayyaf guerrillas launched a bold raid on its capital city, officials said yesterday.

A soldier and three civilians were wounded by the shelling and the gunfire that followed late Thursday in the majority-Christian city of Isabela.

The wounded soldier was identified as Pvt. Chem Castil of the Scout Rangers, while the others were Enaro Superales, 37; Aurelio Guiroy, 86; and his wife, Narcisa, 57.

The attack came as the authorities announced the surrender of a senior Abu Sayyaf member, Mustapha Ting Emmo, reportedly the right-hand man of the group’s elusive chief, Khadaffy Janjalani.

Several mortar shells landed outside the provincial police headquarters, which houses a prison holding captured Abu Sayyaf bandits, said Senior Superintendent Julmunier Jubail, deputy chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police force.

"Everybody is on full alert," he said. "Police and military forces have secured vital government facilities in downtown Isabela."

Jubail said the bandits fired seven rounds from 60-mm. mortars in Barangays Sumagdang, Aguada, Menzi and Kabunbata, which are occupied by the 12th Scout Ranger Company.

Sumagdang is home to Basilan Rep. Gerry Salapuddin, while Gov. Wahab Akbar comes from Aguada, he added. – Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero