Al Farouq, al-Qaeda leader in Southeast Asia, is dead
This was confirmed by Indonesian Intelligence, who had captured him in 2002 during interfaith clashes in Poso and Ambon. The terrorist escaped from prison last year and was killed in an operation of British troops in Iraq.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) Omar Al Farouq, top aide of Osama bin Laden and chief operative in Al Qaeda's network in Southeast Asia, died on Monday, 25 September, in a raid of British forces in Basra, Iraq. This was confirmed today by
Syamsir Siregar, chief of the Indonesian Intelligence Agency (BIN), who in 2002 managed to capture the militant in West Java province. Now his wife, an Indonesian woman living in Bogor, wants her husband's body back from the authorities.
After contacting their colleagues in Iraq, BIN agents confirmed the terrorist's death. The announcement of the operation came on the sidelines of a meeting between Siregar, former army general, and the President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Omar Al Farouq, alias Mahmoud Ahmad Asegaff, born in Saudi Arabia, was married to Mira Augustina, and they had two children Al Gholia, six years, and Al Hanun, four. They lived in the village of Cijambu, Cilada, Cigombong of Bogor Regency, West Java. BIN captured him in 2002 after learning about his presence in Poso, central Sulawesi, and in Ambon, Moluccas, during clashes going on at that time between Christians and Muslims. Indonesian Intelligence immediately handed the man over to the CIA. The man came into the limelight a year ago, when it became known that he was detained in the maximum security city of Bagram in Afghanistan. However he managed to escape from here in July 2005.
The terrorist's wife was informed about his death yesterday by a Muslim lawyer. She immediately asked for the body to be brought back to Indonesia. Syamsir Siregar declined to comment about this.
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