Philippine troops today killed a senior leader of the small al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group blamed for kidnappings and bombings on a remote southern island, a military commander said.
Albader Parad and five colleagues were killed in a gunbattle with Marine troops in a forested area at the foot of Mount Tucay on the remote southern island of Jolo, Lieutenant-General Ben Dolorfino told reporters.
"We have confirmed that one of the six bodies found belonged to Albader Parad as confirmed by independent civilian sources," Dolorfino said in text messages to reporters. "We consider it a big blow on the cause of Islamic militants in the south."
Mr Dolorfino said one soldier was also killed and two slightly wounded during the brief gunbattle. An undetermined number of rebels were also wounded.
Mr Parad, who was on the US State Department terrorist list, was the leader of Islamic rebels who kidnapped three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Jolo in January 2009.
Mr Dolorfino said soldiers had been tracking Parad's movements after getting tips from local residents near Indanan town on Saturday. Troops caught up with Parad's group early on Sunday.
Reuters