Manila - Government troops killed a Muslim militant wanted for kidnappings and bombings in the southern Philippines, a military commander said Friday. Major General Ben Dolorfino said the suspect, Abdulla Ajijul, a commander of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, had a 3.3-million-peso (71,000-dollar) reward for his capture.
Dolorfino said Ajijul was killed when he resisted arrest on Wednesday in Al Barka town in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila.
"He was an Abu Sayyaf urban terrorist leader responsible for kidnapping and bombing incidents," he said. "We scored a significant gain in our anti-terrorism campaign with his killing."
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines. It has also been held responsible for high-profile kidnappings involving foreigners.
