ZAMBOANGA CITY - The military confirmed that slain Moroccan jihadist Mohammad Khattab was a suicide bomber and was training the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Basilan to become one.
Khattab was killed by government troops last Saturday after the 10-hour gunbattle at Sitio Bayoko, Barangay Baguindan, Tipo-Tipo town.
Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., designated spokesman of the ground operation, said Khattab was wearing a bomb vest when his body was recovered by the soldiers on the ground last Sunday.
Tan said the vest of Khattab was rigged with two improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He was also wearing a black shirt with the "shahada" inscription, the typical insignia used by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Knowing the level of terrorism that Khattab and the ASG in Basilan were engaged in prompted ground forces to finish the operation the soonest possible time, he added.
“Primarily they know the purpose of this battle. Alam nila kahit buhay ang inialay nila kasi alam nila mga teroisrista ang pinu-pursue nila which already entertained suicide bombing,” Tan said.
According to Tan, if the military does not act and finish the ASG, the problem will become bigger as the militants will be trained in suicide bombing which will impact the security of the civilians.
“That is why the soldiers know what they are facing. They know the danger but still they gave their best. They sacrificed all just to stop this,” Tan said. “Kasi iba na ang level may suicide bombing na itong si Khattab.”
Tan explained that little was known about Khattab. He said the Moroccan, who was in his late 30s, was affiliated with Daulatul Islamiyah Maliyatul Masrik (DIWM), an Asian-based terror cell of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).
The military is still verifying if he also had ties with ISIS.
The military reported earlier that Khattab along with Malaysian bomber Mohammad Najib Hussein alias Abu Anas fled from Malaysia with another unidentified militant early last year following a police raid.
The militants sought refuge with the ASG but Abu Anas was killed in the military attack last December.