6 Sayyaf members die, 3 soldiers wounded in Sulu clash

Six Abu Sayyaf members were killed and three government soldiers were wounded in a raid of a lair of the terrorist group in the outskirts of Maimbung town in the southern province of Sulu on Saturday morning, a military commander said. Troops from the Marine Battalion Landing 4 were dispatched to the Abu Sayyaf encampment in Kandang Tukay, Maimbung around 7 a.m., acting on an intelligence information, Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said in a telephone interview on Sunday. Dolorfino said the undetermined number of terrorists had been led by Abu Sayyaf leader Dr. Abu Pula, alias Dr. Abu, who was involved in a number of high-profile kidnappings, including that of three Red Cross workers last year. Dolorfino said the clash had lasted for about two hours, after which the terrorists withdrew, leaving behind the bodies of six comrades, a Belgian FN rifle, a squad automatic rifle, and two M203 grenade launchers. Dolorfino said they were trying to validate if one of the slain terrorists was a leader. “Most likely one top leader was killed. It is still being validated," he said, declining to name the person. “The pursuit is ongoing and we are trying to identify the six who were slain. Most likely, there was [one leader killed]. We’ll announce it once it’s confirmed," he said. The general said the military considers the clash a big accomplishment, noting that they seldom recover enemy bodies after an encounter. Abu Sayyaf members usually drag their dead, along with wounded comrades, after a clash. “We seldom recover enemy body. The mere fact that we recovered six bodies and four firearms… is a very big accomplishment," the Marine general said. Dolorfino could not say if members of the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah, who are said to be based in Sulu, were among those they had encountered. — GMANews.TV