Basilan clashes continue; 2 Marines, 6 Abus killed

The death toll in the fresh Basilan fighting that erupted Tuesday morning has risen to eight, a Marine commander in the province said. In an interview Wednesday, Lt. Col. Vincent Teodoro, commander of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7 (MBLT 7) said six of the fatalities were suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf while two were Marines. Five other Marines were wounded. Teodoro said among the Abu Sayyaf fatalities was a brother of Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Fujuri Indama. Indama was earlier reported killed in an encounter in Ungkaya Pukan on August 18 that left 15 Marines killed. Authorities later clarified that Indama survived the firefight. Teodoro said the last reported fighting occurred 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, nearly 24 hours after the clash erupted Tuesday at Sitio Depdep, Bohe Suyak village in Ungkaya Pukan town. "The enemy is still contained in the area," Teodoro said, adding that operating Marines have set up a detachment in the vicinity. Earlier, authorities said the Marines clashed with suspected Abu Sayyaf militants and a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the area. - GMANews.TV