ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 12 Nov) – Two suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed in a clash in the hinterlands of Sulu early Thursday, the military said, quoting an unspecified Philippine National Police intelligence report.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, Joint Task Group Sulu commander, said the clash broke out around 7:30 a.m. in Barangay Latih, Patikul.
Arrojado said the firefight ensued as troops of the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion, while on security operation, spotted around 20 Abu Sayyafs led by ASG sub-leader Alkam Udjaman.
Some of the Abu Sayyafs were reportedly eating breakfast when the troops spotted them.
Arrojado, quoting the PNP report, said that the Abu Sayyafs dragged along the cadavers of their two slain companions as they fled following a 30-minute firefight.
He said the firefight ensued as the offensive continues, targeting the Abu Sayyaf senior leaders and their foreign cohorts in Sulu.
