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2 suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits fall in Basilan


(Updated 2:03 p.m.) Two suspected members of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf were captured following a raid by government security forces in Basilan before dawn Wednesday, a military official said. In a text message to reporters, Maj. Harold Cabunoc, deputy spokesman for the Philippine Army, said the bandits were captured when elements of the Army Special Forces and Scout Rangers swooped down on a suspected bandit lair in Upper Cabengbeng village in Sumisip town. The identities of the captured bandits were not immediately available. Earlier in the day, the military said five bandits were captured. It turned out that three of those captured were plain villagers forced to act as porters by the Abu Sayyaf members, said Cabunoc. The three villagers have since been released. Col. Alexander Macario, commander of the Special Operations Task Force, said an Abu Sayyaf member captured in an earlier operation pinpointed the location of the bandit lair. "I employed both the Scout Rangers and Special Forces troopers in this delicate mission. Our highly trained soldiers were able to surprise the rebels who woke up being surrounded by the soldiers at 5:30am today," Macario said. Cabunoc said the soldiers are currently coordinating with local police for the filing of proper criminal charges against the suspected bandits. — RSJ, GMA News
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