Slain Indonesian bomber was with Marwan in Mamasapano clash

The Indonesian bomb expert killed in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat last week was in Mamasapano, Maguindanao during the January 25 clash, where 44 members of the police's elite Special Action Force were killed.

security analyst Professor Rommel Banlaoi told radio dzBB in an interview that Ibrahim Ali a.k.a. Abdul Fattah was with Julkifli bin Hir alias Marwan when the Mamasapano clash happened.

"Si [Ali] ay siyang tagasunod ni Marwan at nandoon siya nang maganap ang Mamasapano encounter. He managed to survive," Banlaoi said.

Marwan was killed by the SAF troopers during the Mamasapano operation.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that Ali had been arrested in Zamboanga in 2005 for illegal possession of firearms, but was released in 2013 due to lack of merit of the case filed against him.

Ali and seven other members of Ansural Khilafah Philippines were killed in a four-hour firefight with government troops in Palimbang town on Thursday.

Of the eight, only four have been identified —Ali, Abdul Hali, Tatuh Sumail, and Kira Sabiwang, all residents of Palimbang.

Banlaoi said that after the death of Marwan, Ali joined bombmaker Basit Usman, who has also been killed, and eventually allied himself with Mohammad Jaafar Sabiwang Maguid alias Tokboy, a fugitive and alleged leader of the Ansural Khilafah Philippines.

During the interview, the security analyst said the Ansural Khilafah Philippines is a member of the regional jihadist organization called the Malay Archipelago Unit for the Islamic State.

He said that the regional group is actively recruiting for the IS.

Banlaoi said that another Indonesian and five Malaysian nationals, who have links with the IS, are in Mindanao. —ALG, GMA News