Mastermind of Bali bombings escapes raid

Manila, Apr 9: A feared Muslim rebel leader and one of the suspected masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings escaped a dawn raid on their island hideout in the southern Philippines today, the military said.

Isnilon Hapilon, one of the heads of Abu Sayyaf, the Philippines' fiercest militant group, and Umar Patek, believed to have planned the Indonesian resort island attack that killed more than 200, fled their camp on Jolo, 600 miles south of Manila.

Major Eugene Batara said three Abu Sayyaf rebels were captured and two M16 rifles seized in the raid, which is part of a long-running campaign to flush Islamic militants from Jolo, where they train and plot attacks across Southeast Asia.

Batara said US-trained troops were still combing areas around the camp.

Hapilon, who has a 5 million dollars bounty on his head from the US government for kidnapping Americans, has emerged as one of Abu Sayyaf's top strategists after troops killed the group's top two leaders and more than 70 members in a campaign that started in August last year.

Umar Patek and suspected Bali accomplice Dulmatin, also an Indonesian, are sheltering with the Abu Sayyaf.

Abu Sayyaf is one of four Islamic rebel groups operating in the southern Philippines, where Muslims have fought for decades for independence from the largely Catholic nation.

But while other rebels have entered peace talks, Abu Sayyaf is involved in regular clashes with government troops, although its practice of kidnapping for ransom has fallen away in recent years.

The military's campaign on Jolo has forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes, creating much resentment.

On Saturday, a disgruntled civilian is believed to have run amok inside a military camp on Jolo, killing nine soldiers and a civilian with an M16 rifle before troops killed him.

Clashes between security groups and other Muslim rebels still occur in the southern Philippines despite ceasefire deals.

Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and local militias traded gunfire today in a fight in western Mindanao, the main southern island, over water rights.

''We are trying to find ways to separate the warring groups,'' Rasid Ladiasan, a member of the MILF's peace panel told Reuters.

Reuters