Two Sayyaf leaders fall

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two leaders of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf, each carrying a P1-million prize on their heads, were captured in Lamitan, Basilan and this city, the military said.

Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, chief of the Armed Forces’ Southern Command, said arrested Abu Sayyaf leaders Mohammad Abdullah and Abdusalam Amdan both figured prominently in the June 2 siege of Lamitan and the hostage-taking at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan.

Cimatu said Abdullah was the one who fired, during the Lamitan siege, at an armored vehicle, killing Lt. Kenneth Bulong.

Cimatu, meanwhile, said it was possible than Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani could have slipped out of Basilan, aided by two Yemeni nationals. — Roel Pareño