12:32 p.m.
MANILA (AP) — Remains believed to be those of the chief of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, one of the objectives of a long U.S.-backed manhunt, have been found in the southern Philippines, the military said today.
Khaddafy Janjalani is on a U.S. list of wanted terrorists with a $5 million bounty on his head for a series of beheadings, bombings and mass abductions. He has proved elusive in the dense jungles and mangroves that have become home for Janjalani and his men.
Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan, the Philippine marines spokesman, said the decomposing remains were found buried in a remote neighborhood on Jolo Island. Janjalani was believed to have been killed in a Sept. 4 clash with marines, officials said, but DNA tests would be needed for confirmation.
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