Troops kill Abu Sayyaf bandit in Sulu clash

An Abu Sayyaf bandit was killed Sunday when the group tried to ambush several government soldiers in Patikul town in Sulu province, a military report said. Patikul was the site of a fierce encounter between the Abu Sayyaf and Marine soldiers late last month that resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers, two of them beheaded. Sunday’s 15-minute encounter occurred at Sitio Panding in Brgy. Bunkaong at 8:45 a.m., the military report said. One enlisted personnel was wounded in the clash and was immediately brought to a hospital for treatment, the report said. The soldiers were able to recover the body of the slain bandit, it added. "The firefight lasted for fifteen minutes and the enemy withdraws (sic) towards northeast direction," the report said. 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. — KBK, GMA News