By Prashanth Parameswaran
High-ranking leader Hasan Indal nabbed in a joint operation.
Philippine authorities have captured a high-ranking leader of a key splinter militant group, a military spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
According to Maj. Filemon Tan, the spokesperson for the Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command, Hassan Indal alias Abu Hazam, the vice-chairman for internal affairs of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) and the 4th division commander of its armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), was arrested in his hideout in the village of Kalanganan, west of Cotabato City late Tuesday. His son, Ali Indal, also a BIFF member, was killed during the raid after resisting arrest.
Though Indal was initially declared dead by Philippine military officials back in early 2014, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Resituto Padilla said officials are certain this time of his arrest since he had been identified by locals. The raid that led to Indal’s arrest was a joint operation of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion, the 601st Brigade and intelligence units of the 6th Infantry Division. Military officials said local villagers had helped in locating him.
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