POSSIBLE REMAINS OF TERRORIST DULMATIN RECOVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000426 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2018 TAGS: KJUS MOPS PINS PTER RP SUBJECT: POSSIBLE REMAINS OF TERRORIST DULMATIN RECOVERED Classified By: Amb. Kristie A. Kenney, reasons 1.4 b, d. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Philippine Armed Forces recovered a cadaver February 18 that was reported by informants to be the remains of Jemaah Islamiyah leader and Bali bombing mastermind Dulmatin, one of the most wanted terrorists in the Philippines, with up to a $10 million reward under the Rewards for Justice. Although Dulmatin's death has been reported erroneously at least six times in the past, the location of the corpse on the island of Tawi-Tawi in the area of a January 31 firefight between Philippine joint military forces and Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah elements has given life to this particular report about Dulmatin's demise. At the request of the Philippine National Police, FBI agents are assisting in the forensic examinations and in obtaining samples for DNA analysis. FBI experts say identification of the remains could take several weeks. Embassy press guidance emphasizing Philippine leadership of counterterrorism operations in Mindanao is provided in para. 7. Separately, on February 17, Philippine combined forces scored a confirmed hit against Jemaah Islamiyah when they arrested a significant Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah member Latif in the Davao Oriental area of Mindanao. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) On February 18, a Philippine informant led troops from the Philippine Marines and Military Intelligence Group to a grave on Tawi-Tawi island in the Sulu Archipelago of the southern Philippines, where the informant claimed Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist leader Dulmatin (a.k.a. Amar Usman)was buried. Dulmatin is suspected of masterminding the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed 202 people, including seven U.S. citizens. He is an electronics specialist with training by al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan and a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist organization, listed as wanted under the Rewards for Justice program for up to $10 million. ¶3. (C) Dulmatin's death has been reported to Philippine authorities at least six times previously without substantiation. However, the fresh grave and location of the cadaver in an area of a recent firefight between Philippine forces and combined Abu Sayaaf/Jemaah Islamiyah elements on January 31 -- in which witnesses reported Dulmatin injured -- and the physical wounds found on the cadaver that are similar to those Dulmatin reportedly sustained in the firefight, have raised Philippine expectations. Media carried a statement by Marine Commandant Major General Benjamin Dolorfino that said: "Based on the description of the informant, Dulmatin suffered gunshots in the head, chest, and right foot and based on our initial findings, the statement of the witness matched" with the exhumed remains. ¶4. (C) At the request of Philippine authorities, U.S. personnel are assisting in the investigation. The Philippine Western Mindanao Command asked for assistance with transporting the remains to Zamboanga, where Federal Bureau of Investigation agents helped Philippine National Police in the collection of DNA samples that will be sent to Manila for comparison against samples on file there of DNA belonging to Dulmatin's children. A second set of samples is in FBI custody and is available for processing at FBI's Quantico facility. FBI agents here estimate FBI processing and comparison could take two to five weeks, while Philippine authorities could finish the analysis in approximately two weeks. At the same time, the Australian Federal Police have contacted Embassy officials to express their interest in conducting their own DNA analysis of the remains. ¶5. (C) Separately, on February 17, a joint Philippine military operation dealt another blow to the Jemaah Islamiyah network when authorities captured significant Indonesian terrorist Latif (a.k.a. Salman) in the southeastern Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Latif is a known associate of wanted Jemaah Islamiyah Bali bomber Umar Patek and is thought to have been hiding in the Philippines for more than three years. In a coordinated and well-timed operation, Philippine military forces captured Latif after quickly reacting to a tip; significant evidence including computer equipment, mobile phones, weapons, explosives, and training manuals were found in his possession at the time of his arrest. They are currently being exploited, and Latif is under interrogation. ¶6. (C) Comment: If the remains are indeed those of Dulmatin, this will mark another major success for Philippine antiterrorism efforts, which the government said have resulted in the death or capture of 7 key terrorist leaders MANILA 00000426 002 OF 002 and over 200 other terrorism suspects since August 2006, including the deaths of leaders of the Abu Sayyaf Group Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman. Whatever the outcome of the results from the DNA tests, it will be important to ensure that the Philippine government has the opportunity to announce the results first, given their command of the antiterrorism efforts here. ¶7. (SBU) Embassy press guidance follows. Q: Intelligence sources say that Filipino Marines located a body on Tawi-Tawi that might be the corpse of senior Jemaah Islamiya figure Dulmatin, whose delivery to justice carries a reward. Can you confirm this? We understand the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) located a corpse that may be Dulmatin,s. For further information, I refer you to the AFP. We applaud the efforts of the AFP to find international terrorists whose presence in the Southern Philippines is a source of ongoing violence and destruction that prevents citizens from moving forward toward peace, prosperity, and development Q: Is the U.S. helping determine the body,s identity with DNA testing? The U.S. is currently assisting the Philippine Government in doing the DNA testing. KENNEY