Alwaght- Malaysian forces have arrested a notorious leader of the Philippines-based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf as the country continues a crackdown on the ISIS-linked group.
According to sources, police detained Hajar Abdul Mubin - otherwise known as Abu Asrie - in the Wednesday raid.
Hajar, a Filipino, was arrested along with one other Filipino and six Malaysians from the Borneo state of Sabah, which shares a porous maritime border with the Philippines.
Abu Asrie, 25, is believed to be a member of the Jolo-based kidnap-for-ransom group Lucky 9, which has links to Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines.
The Abu Sayyaf is notorious for bombings, beheadings, extortion and kidnap-for-ransom in the south of Philippines.
The arrests were the latest in an ongoing crackdown on Takfiri terrorists by Muslim-majority Malaysia. More than 250 people have been arrested between 2013 and 2016 for suspected militancy linked to ISIS.
Takfiri terrorists loyal to ISIS managed to seize large territories in the southern Philippines in May, promoting the government to launch a sweeping crackdown in the city of Marawi and other areas in almost one third of the country in the south.
The battle continued for 100 days, and some 620 militants along with over 130 soldiers and police as well as 45 civilians were killed.
Meanwhile the Philippines government said that terrorist leader Isnilon Hapilon is believed to still be in Marawi City.
"We treat numerous reports saying that Isnilon Hapilon has left Marawi and has been seen openly in Basilan as raw information," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement on Sunday.
Joint Task Force Basilan, which handles security operations in that province, said last week that it has been combing the island for Hapilon's followers to preempt potential sympathy attacks for their trapped leader.
