7 soldiers killed in Sulu clash with Abu Sayyaf

(Updated 2:58 p.m.) Seven soldiers, including a junior officer, were killed while 21 others were injured Thursday dawn in an encounter with Abu Sayyaf bandits in Patikul town in Sulu, a known stomping ground of the al Qaeda-linked group. The bandits who engaged the soldiers in a firefight were led by Radullan Sahiron, according to Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command. "Reports state that the troops suffered 28 casualties – seven killed in action and 21 wounded in action," said Cabangbang. Cabangbang said the soldiers, who were from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 11, were maneuvering inside the enemy camp when the bandits attacked them. "They (soldiers) were fired upon first. Actually, it was an encounter. It's just incidental that they (Abu Sayyaf) were on the high ground… They (soldiers) entered the enemy camp… They maneuvered the whole night and then in the morning, they were inside the camp," he said. Cabangbang said the fighting lasted until 9:30 a.m. It was not clear if the Abu Sayyaf suffered any casualty. Citing initial information, Cabangbang said the encounter occurred around 4:30 a.m. Brig. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo, the Marine brigade commander in the area, has requested Wesmincom to provide air assets to reinforce the embattled soldiers and to evacuate the casualties. The Abu Sayyaf is a loosely organized band of Islamic fundamentalists responsible for kidnapping and bombing attacks in Mindanao and Metro Manila in the past. At a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo later in the day, Armed Forces spokesman Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez said the military considers the incident a "strategic victory" as the soldiers were able to overrun a major Abu Sayyaf camp. "Nothing is free," Rodriguez said, noting the military casualties. "We understand the nature of our profession. We put our lives on the line so that we can finally rid the country of terrorists and the remain ASG terrorists are concentrated in that area." Rodriguez said he is confident that a number of Abu Sayyaf terrorists were either killed or wounded in the encounter. - KBK, GMA News