Manila: Abdul Basit Usman, a Filipino bomb maker and a senior member of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, was reportedly killed in a clash with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, reports said.

A report by GMA News quoted Senior Supt. Nickson Muksan as saying that Usman was killed before noon on Sunday by members of the MILF 118th Base Command during a clash in the village of Muti, Guindulungan town.

Muksan had based his information from that supposedly provided by Muti village chief Gayak Midtimbang.

Contacted by Gulf News, Toks Ibrahim, peace consultant of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said they could not confirm the report at this time but a separate report from Bombo Radyo said that Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, commander of the armed forces Western Mindanao Command, had confirmed the slaying of Usman in a clash on Sunday.

The radio report said the clash in Guindulungan took place at around 11.30am.

Usman, considered a “high-value target,” carries a $1 million (Dh3.67 million) bounty under the US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Programme.

The scheme put in place by the United States about a decade ago, to capture or eliminate terrorists operating in areas where the US has interests.

As a bombmaker, he reportedly taught members of the Jemaah Islamiyah as well as the Abu Sayyaf in fabricating improvised explosive devices which are being used by various groups and criminals in Mindanao in sowing terror.

In January 25, 2015, Usman was able to escape from an operation conducted by police Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The raid had resulted in the killing of Malaysian terrorist Zulfikli Abdhir aka “Marwan” at a cost of the loss of lives of 44 SAF commandos and 23 MILF members and civilians.

Aside from this, the clash, which took place while a truce is being observed between the government military forces and the MILF, caused a setback to the several years old peace process in Mindanao.

The Rewards for Justice Programme describes Usman as a Filipino citizen with links to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organisations operating in the southern Philippines.

“Due to these associations, US authorities consider Basit to be a threat to US and Filipino citizens and interests. Basit is believed to have orchestrated several bombings that have killed, injured, and maimed many innocent civilians,” it added.

In 2003, Basit was indicted in the Philippines for his role in multiple bombing incidents since 2003.