Screen image extracted from News5, n5e.interaksyon.com
Reports reaching Manila indicated that the number of casualties on the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) side has climbed to 14 dead and 19 wounded in the renewed fighting that erupted Wednesday in Sulu, Rear Admiral Reynaldo Yoma, commander of the Task Force ZAMBASULTA (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi), said Thursday.
"Six of the 14 dead Abu Sayyaf bandits were from body count," Yoma reported.
Yoma, also commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao Command, said government security forces were in the process of verifying reports that at least three still- unidentified Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) personalities were among the encountered bandits.
On Wednesday, elite forces from the Army Scout Rangers and Special Forces encountered up to 300 Abu Sayyaf bandits in Barangay Tanum in the town of Patikul.
According to Ensign Chester Ramos, spokesman of ZAMBASULTA, the firefight also resulted in the death of two government soldiers and 16 others wounded.
At Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang ordered all unit commanders in Basilan and Sulu to intensify their operations against ASG.
"This is not a purely military solution to this lingering social problem. I will commit troops to relentlessly pursue the armed bandits who are hiding in the jungles and another group of soldiers will work with the local government and non-government organizations in addressing the wide array of community issues that are also attributed to the existence of the ASG," Catapang said.
He said that he is considering an option to send in more troops to help flush out the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Colonel Alan Arrojado, commander of Joint Task Group Sulu, identified the soldiers who died in the encounter on February 25 as Corporal Lonell Bautista, 35, of Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite, and, Private First Class Ervin Roquero, 23, of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Among those who were wounded were 1st Lt. Ramsel Dugan and 2nd Lt. Bernard Mabazza.
Tracking the bandits' withdrawal route, the troops pursued them deep inside the jungles located in the adjacent sub-village of Kan Jimaw, Tugas, Patikul. Another firefight ensued at 9:15 a.m. Thursday when the Scout Rangers spotted at least 100 bandits led by Hatib Sawadjaan.
The troops belonging to the 35th Infantry Battalion came upon an abandoned enemy encampment in the same village at around 11:40 a.m., which was large enough to accommodate at least 50 persons.
"Civilian tipsters revealed that three Malaysian nationals, who are suspected to be members of the Southeast Asian regional terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiya, were being coddled by the group of Sawadjaan," Arrojado said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/105862/asg-deaths-in-patikul-rise-to-14-suspected-malaysian-ji-members-also-being-hunted
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.