Abdul Basit Usman

Ahmad Akmad Batabol Usman^[2] (1974 –3 May 2015), more commonly known as Abdul Basit Usman, was a Filipino terrorist and a bomb-making expert who led the Special Operations Group of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and had links to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah militant groups.^[3] Usman was on the United States' Rewards for Justice Program list, which offered $1 million for his capture.^[4]

Usman was born in 1974 in Labo-Labo, a village in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur in the southern Philippines.^[2] He worked as an overseas Filipino in Pakistan before engaging in militant activities.^[5]

Usman was implicated in the FitMart Mall bombing in General Santos on 21 April 2002, which killed at least 15 people and injured 55 others.^[3] Several weeks later, he was arrested and accused of assembling the bomb. He was interrogated and imprisoned at the Sarangani Provincial Police Station, but was made a minimum-security detainee for good behavior. His cell was not locked, and he escaped in October 2002.^[5]

Upon his escape, Usman joined Tahir Alonto, a former commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front whom the military had accused of leading the Pentagon gang, a kidnap-for-ransom group. Usman later offered to turn himself in. Senior Inspector Aucelito Cabang, who was Usman's custodial officer, entered Alonto's territory with three other officers to arrest Usman, but was killed in what turned out to be a trap.^[5]

Usman would later be linked to a bombing at the public market of Tacurong on 10 October 2006, which injured four people, and to the Cotabato City bombings on 5 and 7 January 2007, which killed two people and injured three others.^[3]

On 14 January 2010, Usman was incorrectly reported to have been killed along with several others in an American drone strike in Pakistan that targeted the Pakistani Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud.^[6] Later, he was also reported to have been killed in a series of military shellings in Maguindanao del Sur.^[5]

Usman reapareció más tarde, y en junio de 2014, funcionarios del gobierno advirtieron que estaba planeando un atentado con bomba en la ciudad de Davao . ^{[ 7 ]} El 25 de enero de 2015, fue uno de los dos objetivos del enfrentamiento de Mamasapano en Mindanao . Su compañero Zulkifli Abdhir , el otro objetivo, murió en la incursión, pero Usman escapó ^{[ 8 ]} y huyó al pantano de Liguasan . El ejército y el Frente Moro de Liberación Islámica lanzaron ofensivas para encontrarlo y capturarlo, y el presidente Aquino prometió: "Atraparemos a Usman". ^{[ 9 ]}

Usman murió en un enfrentamiento con el Frente Moro de Liberación Islámica el 3 de mayo de 2015 en Guindulungan , Maguindanao del Sur . ^{[ 1 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ]} Se sospechaba que uno de sus guardaespaldas lo había asesinado para cobrar la recompensa de 1 millón de dólares que se ofrecía por su cabeza. Según un comunicado de las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas , "Había luchas internas entre sus guardaespaldas. Cuando lo mataron, tenía 7 guardaespaldas, pero estos no eran los más leales". ^{[ 12 ] [ 13 ]}

Sin embargo, las Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas posteriormente se retractaron de esa afirmación y confirmaron que Usman fue asesinado por el Frente Moro de Liberación Islámica. ^{[ 14 ]}