Philippine troops seize Abu Sayyaf guerrillas

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines -- Philippine security officials say they have captured one senior member of the Abu Sayyaf guerilla group and a second who was allegedly on a mission to set up terrorist operations in Manila.

Mustala Amil was arrested in Basilan, where the group is holding scores of hostages.

Amil was shot and wounded on Wednesday while resisting arrest, says the local police chief, Ahmadul Pangambayan.

Officials had offered a $20,000 reward for Amil's arrest over several abductions last year, but it was not clear if he was also being accused of involvement in the May kidnappings.

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Amil is alleged to be a logistics officer of the Abu Sayyaf, which says it is fighting for Muslim independence in the south.

The government, however, calls it a gang of bandits out to make money through kidnappings.

Amil's condition was not immediately known, but journalists saw him walking later as he was brought to a military hospital at the Southern Command in Zamboanga City, north of Basilan.

Terror plan in Manila

Also on Wednesday, a confidential military report leaked to the press revealed a police bust that officials said dashed a plot by Abu Sayyaf guerillas to spread terror into the capital, Manila.

Harsim Abdulajid, a member of the Abu Sayyaf's intelligence unit, was arrested on June 17 while trying to set up "safe houses" and carry out bombing attacks, the report said.

Under questioning by authorities, Abdulajid admitted he was a member of the Urban Intelligence Unit of the Abu Sayyaf group, the report said.

The military also said that its soldiers shot dead four Muslim on southern Basilan, but failed to locate any of Filipino and U.S. hostages held for weeks.

In an interview with CNN, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said: "(The tactics) are effective if you compare it to last year's incident in the Sipadan."

"It took four months to get the first victim out (in Sipadan hostage crisis). This time, we're doing military pressure and we got the first hostage out in nine days."

'Military's mistakes'

However, she admits the military has "made mistakes and the soldiers paid dearly for it. And, they are doing the appropriate change . . . "

The Abu Sayyaf recently abducted 20 people, including three American tourists, in a resort in Palawan last month, then took more hostages in a raid at a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan.

The kidnappers claimed they killed one American hostage, Guillermo Sobero, but so far, his body has not been found, raising hopes he might be still alive.

Eleven of the Palawan hostages have escaped or been freed -- reportedly after payment of ransom -- while two others, both Filipinos, were killed.

The gunmen also took 20 Filipino hostages on Basilan while fleeing pursuing troops. One was freed later, two were beheaded.

A mother and her 5-year-old daughter, abducted last weekend in a separate incident in Basilan, a rebel stronghold 560 miles south of Manila, were freed Wednesday after appeals from local Muslim elders.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.