Janjalani death confirmed
In the United States, the FBI has confirmed through DNA testing that Abu Sayyaf terrorist leader Khadafi Janjalani has been killed! The body was found buried in the jungles of Jolo in December 2006, and rumored to be that of Abu Sayyaf Commander Janjalani, but it was not certain until yesterday when DNA tests finally confirmed that it was indeed Khadafi Janjalani. In order to complete the test, saliva samples were taken from his brother Hector Janjalani, who is imprisoned for life on a conviction for kidnapping.
Over the years, there were actually three Janjalani brothers in the ranks of Philippine Terrorism. Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani was the eldest of the three brothers. He was killed by Philippine forces in 1998. The second was Khadafi Janjalani, and the third being Hector. So, two of the brothers have now been killed, and the third is serving a life term. Not bad!
Khadafi Janjalani was the top leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group, until his death, which is rumored to have been in September 2006. His absense from the group leaves the Abu Sayyaf to be in a state of disarray, and two of the group’s leaders fighting for the supreme role in the terrorist group. Radullan Sahiron, who is the Abu Sayyaf Commander in Sulu, and Isnilon Hapilon, who is the Abu Sayyaf Commander in Basilan are rumored to be battling for the overall leadership role at this point. However, fighting between the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Armed Forces of the Philippines is fierce right now, and President Arroyo is declaring that the group will be eliminated soon. Arroyo said that in light of recent high profile deaths of Janjalani and Abu Solaiman, the Government will redouble it’s efforts to wipe out the group. As a matter of fact, another 1500 troops were sent to Sulu this weekend to join the battle.
Janjalani carried a $5 Million reward on his head from the US Government for his capture or death. At this point, the US Embassy says that they are not sure who, or even if the reward will be issued. With the circumstances of Janjalani’s death, it would be hard to know who was responsible for killing him, and that would complicate the issuance of the money. I would personally propose that in lieu of giving a $5 Million cash reward, the USA should give $10 Million worth of military equipment to the Philippines to aid in the battle against the Abu Sayyaf. Certainly it was the Philippine Government forces who were responsible for Janjalani’s death.
[...] about the Abu Sayyaf problems on Basilan. She told me that she had known Khadafi Janjalani (the recently killed leader of the Abu Sayyaf) in her childhood and beyond that. She told me that she was a schoolmate of Janjalani, and that [...]
Muhammad-
I remember how back in the days – Filipino muslims and christians in mindanao just coexist peacefully…
It would be great, Muhammad!
That would be so nice, if the MILF sign a peace deal, and ASG is wipe out. It would be great booster for Mindanao, and peace.
Hi Tina – Yep! I am really starting to feel good about the prospects of wiping out the Abu Sayyaf, or at the minimum making them very ineffective. If there was a peace deal with the MILF and also elimination of the Abu Sayyaf, Mindanao would be a long way down the road to peace!
Hi Bob,
This is great news! I actually thought the same thing about the reward going to the modernization of the Philippine military. The soldiers in the field deserve better equipment. I hope they get these ASAP. This is long overdue.
[...] Another morning, another roundup of what’s happening around Mindanao! Of course the big news is the confirmation of Khadafi Janjalani’s death. You can read the details on that here. With the death of Janjalani, and the extreme fighting against the Abu Sayyaf that is ongoing, it seems like the Government is pretty serious about wiping out the terror group, or at least inflicting some really serious damage. Heck, serious damage has already been inflicted, I guess, with the deaths of at least two top Abu Sayyaf leaders. I saw on the TV news last night that out of 5 top Abu Sayyaf leaders who all carried $5 Million prices on their heads from the US Rewards for Justice program, 4 have already been killed. Four out of 5 ain’t bad! Of course, it seems that as you kill off or scare off members from these kinds of groups, it spurs others into joining up, and the battle is never ending. Let’s hope that the Abu Sayyaf will soon be a relic on the ash bin of history. [...]