Abu Sayyaf Commander killed in Malaysia

DAVAO CITY, Philippines —Malaysian authorities killed  Abu Sayyaf Commander from the Philippines, Nurhassan Jamiri, Tuesday at about 2:30 in the afternoon, February 27, 2018 in the eastcoast of Sabah.

The Star.com Malaysia reported, Jamiri was among the three persons killed by police authorities during a shootout inside a plantation, about a kilometer away from the main Kalabakan-Keningau road in Sabah.

The report written by Philip Golingai stated “Nurhassan Jamiri, Abu Sayyaf sub commander in Basilan” was travelling aboard a carnapped vehicle when Malaysian police spotted them,  but the group reportedly offered resistance which resulted to a four-minute shootout.

Police recovered high powered firearms which include M4 Colt 556 rifle, a .38 revolver with six bullets, a bag containing nine bullets, two packets of drugs and also a Perodua Kancil car that had been stolen from Kota Kinabalu.

Jamiri, according to Malaysian intelligence community, has been off the loop in Malaysia for seven years, but was reportedly sighted in Sabah last October 2017, just after President Rodrigo Duterte declared the liberation of Marawi City from the Maute terrorist.

The Star.com Malaysia reported Jamiri was armed with a high-powered rifle when he was gunned down.

He was among the suspects in the 2011 Makati City bus attack which killed five passengers.

He was also tagged in the abduction of of Warren Rodwell, a 54-year-old Australian who was held by the Abu Sayyaf for 472 days in Basilan in 2011.

Jamiri, is the cousin of slain Abu Sayyaf bomb expert Mussana Jamiri.

Malaysian authorities suspect, Jamiri was involved in the Marawi City siege and might have fled to Sabah to seek refuge about three months ago.

Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) commander Datuk Hazani Ghazali in a press conference Wednesday, February 28, 2018, said Jamiri and his companions were killed in a shootout at the Tawau plantation.

Malaysian authorities theorized, Jamiri’s group and the group who is linked to a cross-border network of terrorist might have planned to sow terror in Sabah.

Earlier on, the Bukit Aman anti-terrorism unit arrested ten persons for reportedly planning to carry out terror activities in the east coats.

Ghazali said they are collecting fingerprints and documents for comparison with their counterpart in the  Philippines.

Tawau district police chief Asst Comm Fadil Marcus said they  are still verifying the identities of the two other fatalities to determine their affiliation.

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Marcus stressed he does not want to speculate, if they there were Abu Sayyaf militants who took part in the failed Marawi siege.

Hazani said they are  working with their counterparts in the Philippines to help identify the three, authorities said the fatalities did not have any document or identification card.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline.ph  with reports from Philip Golingai/Star.com Malaysia