Manila (Philippine) – The Philippine Army has claimed the death of three high-level leaders from an Al Qaida-linked terrorist network in an air raid on a southern island. These three were among 15 militants killed Thursday on Jolo, a jungle-infested island where Al Qaida-linked terrorists are suspected to be holding kidnapped foreigners.

The Philippines have been battling the Abu Sayyaf since the 1990s (AFP/File, Therence Koh)

Among the dead includes Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, alias Abu Pula, a Filipino; Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan; and Singaporean Abdullah Ali, who uses the guerrilla name Muawiyah, military spokesman Col. Marcelo Burgos said.

“Our troops on the ground have confirmed the death of 15 Abu Sayyaf and JI members, including Zulkifli bin Abdul Hir, alias Marwan, Mohammad Ali, alias Muawiyah, and Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Pula,” Coballes said.

Marwan, a top leader of the Indonesian-based terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, carried a $5-million bounty for his killing or arrest – a reward offered by the US government.

The Jemaah Islamiyah is the militant organisation blamed for some of Southeast Asia’s deadliest terrorist attacks including the 2002 Bali bombings in which more than 200 people were killed.

Abu Pula, a Filipino, is a founder and one of the most senior figures of the Abu Sayyaf group, which was established in the southern Philippines in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaida network.

The Abu Sayyaf is blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines, including the bombing of a ferry in Manila that killed more than 100 people.