Philippine military chief confirms wanted Filipino bomb-maker with $1 million bounty killed
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The Philippine military chief has confirmed that wanted Filipino bomb-maker Basit Usman, who has links to the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network and a suspect in deadly bomb attacks in the south, has been killed.
Washington has offered a $1 million award for Usman's capture and prosecution.
Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said Monday that infighting among Usman's bodyguards led to a firefight Sunday in southern Maguindanao province, near a designated safe area for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim rebel group that signed a peace deal with the government last year.
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He says it was unclear how Usman was killed, and the military was investigating if he was already dead when Muslim rebels arrived to check on the firefight.