70-year-old Sahiron spearheads Abu Sayyaf after Janjalani death

Manila: A one-armed septuagenarian has become the top leader of the Philippines' deadliest militant group after the killing of its chieftain and the main tactician, the military said yesterday.

Radullan Sahiron is worshipped as a folk-hero on the islands of Jolo and Basilan, the strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf group, Lieutenant-General Romeo Tolentino told Reuters.

"If our troops would get Sahiron, then everything would come to an end," Tolentino said. "Sahiron is the most respected leader in the Abu Sayyaf. He's the most senior and the most experienced although he lacks foreign contacts."

Intelligence officers said it was unlikely Sahiron, 70, would take an active role in the group's operations after the killing of its chief Khaddafy Janjalani.

"Due to his failing health and advanced age, Sahiron would not be able to effectively lead the Abu Sayyaf," said an army intelligence source. "But his counsel would always be sought and would remain an important voice in decision-making."

Sahiron lost his right hand fighting security forces in the 1970s. The military confirmed on Saturday that Abu Sayyaf chief Janjalani had died from wounds sustained in a gunbattle with troops on Jolo in September.

Last week, it said it had killed Jainal Antel Sali, alias Abu Sulaiman, the group's tactician and master planner, also on Jolo.

"This year would be a watershed for national security as we mop up the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf," President Gloria Arroyo said in a statement yesterday.

Top targets

Tolentino, the general, said the military's top targets were Sahiron, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, two Indonesian militants blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings who have taken refuge with the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo.

"It would be easier to track down and get the Indonesians if we get Sahiron out of the way," he said.