Philippine police seize weapons intended for Abu Sayyaf

By Roy Ramos

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines

Philippine police revealed Tuesday the seizure of millions of pesos worth of high-powered firearms intended to be transported from Manila to the country’s troubled south for the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

National police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa presented the 6 million-peso ($124,385) cache -- which included M203 grenade launchers, M14 and M16 assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition -- to reporters at the force’s main headquarters in Camp Crame.

"Some ASG [Abu Sayyaf Group] members are in Manila since August 2016 to buy guns, explosive components, ammunition, upon orders of an unidentified ASG commander,” GMA News quoted him saying.

“These will be used against government forces in Sulu and Basilan [island provinces], as well as bombing operations," he underlined.

Army troops and marines have been engaged in offensives for around two months after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered security forces to "destroy" the group, which is still holding several local and foreign hostages in Sulu.

Dela Rosa said the firearms were confiscated Saturday from four suspects by Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) operatives in the suburb of San Juan.

With the exception of a suspect identified as Unding Kenneth Isa, who was the subject of a search warrant, the other three were released for lack of evidence.

According to the acting CIDG-Anti-Transnational Crimes Unit head, Chief Insp. Roque Merdegia, illegal activities by a group supplying weapons to the Abu Sayyaf increased ahead of the May 9 elections -- during which Isa reportedly unsuccessfully aspired to become Sulu vice governor.

GMA also cited the CIDG statement in which CIDG acting director Chief Supt. Roel Obusan said they received information in July of Isa’s alleged involvement in gunrunning activities for the group supplying militants and drug dealers in the southern Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao -- of which Sulu and Basilan are part.

According to Dela Rosa, most of the confiscated ammunition originated from the government's arsenal and officials are investigation were such was also the case with the firearms.

Since 1991, the Abu Sayyaf -- armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles -- has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion in a self-determined fight for an independent province in the Philippines.

The group is notorious for beheading victims after ransoms have failed to be paid for their release.

It is one of two militant groups in the south to have pledged allegiance to Daesh, prompting fears during the stalling of a peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel group that it could make inroads in a region torn by decades of armed conflict.