Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander Major General Juvymax Uy, identified the slain suspects as Norodin Hassan alias Andot who is known as Emir for military affairs of the Daulah Islamiyah Hassan Group.
Hassan, according to Uy was tagged as mastermind of the tragic Mindanao Star bus attack in Barangay Upper Carmen, Aleosan last January 11 which killed a five-year old boy and wounded six other passengers.
Colonel Jovencio Gonzales, commanding officer of 602nd Brigade identified the two of the other slain suspects as Abdonilah Hassan and Abdonhack Hassan. They were members of a local terror cell led by Norodin Hassan operating in North Cotabato and nearby areas of Maguindanao province.
Authorities were able to recover numerous firearms and war materials from the suspects which include a 7.62mm M14 Rifle, caliber 30 M1 Garand Rifle, several rounds of ammunition and magazines of different calibers, analog cellular phones, solar panels, ICOM radios, and other subversive documents with high intelligence value.
Gonzales said his troops and members of Police Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Teams conducted a Sensitive Site Exploitation and Post Blast Investigation immediately after the bus bombing to identify the signature of the improvised explosive device (IED) and the suspects.
Further, intelligence reports and information from the civilian populace helped security forces to track down the perpetrators and launched a massive manhunt operation a day after the explosion, Gonzales said.
“After we identified the perpetrators who are responsible for the bombing attack, we immediately launched the manhunt operation in order to prevent them from doing similar atrocities in other areas thus preventing further loss of lives and damaged to properties,” Gonzales added.
“Our continuous effort to go after these terrorist groups has been unyielding. There will be no let-up and slowing down against these terrorists who continue to attack civilian populace, properties, and communities,” Uy said.
Uy said all these accomplishments were realized with the help of the local leaders and members of the communities.
“Together let us stand against these terrorist groups. In due time we will defeat them and the people of Central Mindanao will finally realize the peace and security that they longed for,” Uy added.
Photo: 6th ID