(CNN Philippines) — Terrorist bomb maker Basit Usman was killed in a chance encounter with fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Guindulungan town in Maguindanao.
Both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) confirmed this on Monday (May 4).
The AFP, however, has provided only a photo of a body, which it identified as Usman.
In a news conference on Monday, AFP Chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang said he was still confirming from ground troops where Usman’s body was so that forensics personnel could get a DNA sample from it to confirm its identity.
Catapang said he would recommend the DNA sample to sent to the United States for testing and identification, as the government did with the DNA sample taken from Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed in a clash with police commandos last January 25.
Catapang said Usman’s death is a major setback to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which had coddled Usman and Marwan for a long time.
Also on Monday, the MILF confirmed Usman’s death through Toks Upam, liaison officer of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).
Upam made the confirmation in a brief meeting with Mayor Midpantao Midtimbang Guindulungan, where the firefight took place, and Senior Supt. Nickson Muksan, chief of the Maguindanao Provincial Police Office.
According to Upam, the incident took place at around 11:50 a.m. in Barangay Muti, a mountainous village in Guindulungan.
Usman and his group got into a firefight with an MILF group led by a Commander Barok. The Moro group belongs to the 118th Base Command, which is led by Commander Wahid Tundok.
The military said the encounter site is near the vicinity of Camp Afghan, a temporary relocation site for MILF members who voluntarily vacated their homes during the law enforcement operations being conducted against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighers (BIFF) after the Mamasapano clash.
The AFP said MILF members who are temporarily staying at the said camp rushed to the scene and discovered the bodies, including an M60 machine gun, a rocket propelled grenade, and a Bushmaster rifle.
Military sources on the ground believe that there was infighting among Usman’s followers fueled by the tussle for the $1-million bounty that the US government put on his head.
The AFP is validating the reports that Usman became distrustful of some of his own men after the series of encounters between the AFP and his group in the past two months.
The AFP promised to produce photos of Usman’s dead body to show proof of his death.
Catapang says if it is indeed true that the MILF was behind the killing of Usman, it is a sign of the group’s sincerity to proceed with the peace process.
CNN Philippines’ Gerg Cahiles and Louie U. Navarro and stringer Erwin Cabilbigan contributed to this report.
