Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said soldiers had utilized all aircraft from the Philippine Air Force to secure the areas surrounding Jolo town, including Maligay, Patikul and Indanan.
The air strikes, using MG-520 rockets, began on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. and end at 10 a.m.
On Wednesday, the aircraft only flew to patrol, but no bombs were dropped at the areas of Ajang-Ajang, a sub-group of the Abu Sayyaf composed of members in their 20s to 30s.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has noted that young people of the Ajang-Ajang sub-group, suspects in the Jolo blasts, ran errands for their Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) superiors.
The sub-group is being commanded by Hatib Sawadjaan, father-in-law of Malaysian terrorist Amin Baco.
Besana said the air strikes were launched after establishing that there were no civilians in the target areas.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also confirmed the strikes.
4 surrender
Four persons of interests in the twin bombings in Jolo have surrendered to the military's Joint Task Force Sulu.
According to the WestMinCom, two of the four suspects who surrendered at 10 a.m. to authorities were seen in security footage obtained by the military.
They were indentified as Alshaber Arbi, 18 and Gerry Isnajil.
Arbi is a Grade 11 student of Kalingalan Caluang National High School, while Isnajil is a teacher of the same school.
At about 3 p.m., the two persons of interests surrendered to the Sulu Provincial Police Office and were identified as Alsimar Mohammad Albi, 24, and Julius Abdulzam Albi, 17.
Alsimar and Julius, according to the WestMinCom, went to a pharmacy to buy medicines for Alsimar's mother, who was confined at a hospital in Sulu.
After they bought the medicines, an explosion was heard at the cathedral, propting the two to go near the blast site.
A possible suspect evaded authorities, but his aide was killed in an armed confrontation in Patikul, Sulu Tuesday evening.
The man, known as "Kamah," who was said to have triggered the twinboms in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral that killed 21 people on January 27, was encountered by police and government troops at 6:30 p.m. in Barangay Latih.
With him were his aide Ommal Yusop and another person.
A spot report said Yusop immediately drew fire once the policemen arrived in the area, which caused security forces to return fire. Yusop was killed as a result.
Authorities recovered one pistol, one empty shell, five live ammunition and one magazine.
The military said Kamah, a bombmaker whose brother is slain ASG leader Surakah Ingog, might have tinkered with the cellphone device that was used in triggering the boms in Jolo. [Catherine S. Valente, The Manila Times]
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