23 killed, up to 80 wounded in clash with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan; military implements news blackout

From InterAksyon (Apr 10): 23 killed, up to 80 wounded in clash with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan; military implements news blackout

(UPDATE 4, 4:35 p.m.) Eighteen soldiers, including an officer, and five Abu Sayyaf bandits, including a Moroccan national, were killed and 80 others were wounded in a 10-hour clash in the hinterlands of Basilan province, a military official disclosed Sunday.

At least four of the soldiers were beheaded in the clash with about a hundred Abu Sayyaf fighters Saturday on the strife-torn island of Basilan, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer Major Filemon Tan said.

Tan disclosed that the clash broke out around 7:55 a.m. Saturday in Sitio Bayoko, Barangay Baguindan, Tipo-Tipo.

Tan did not release the identities of the slain soldiers except to say they belong to the Army’s 4th Special Forces Battalion and 44th Infantry Battalion.

Tan said the troops were conducting security operations when they encountered more or less 120 gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf brigands led by Isnilon Hapilon, who is on the United States government’s list of most wanted terrorists in Asia with a $5-million bounty for his capture, dead or alive. Last year Hapilon’s group pledged allegiance to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"This is part of the military operations against the Abu Sayyaf," launched after a series of abductions of foreigners, he told reporters.

On Sunday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces chief of staff General Hernando Irriberi rushed to the headquarters of the Western Mindanao CommanD (Westmincom) to meet ground commanders.

Foreign terrorist sought to unify groups - AFP chief

Military chief General Hernando Iriberri, who flew to the southern command base in Zamboanga city, 44 kilometers (27 miles) from the violence, said the fighting lasted almost 10 hours.

"The whole armed forces is grieving," he told reporters.

He said a Moroccan national who was with the gunmen was killed in the clashes, identifying him as Mohammad Khattab, an instructor in making improvised explosive devices as well as an "Islamic jihadist preacher"

"He wanted to unify, organize all kidnap-for-ransom groups to be affiliated with an international terrorist organisation," the general said.

He would not identify the international group the Moroccan was allegedly working for.

Iriberri said operations were continuing, adding that "even as we speak, there is an encounter going on in the same place".

Concerned ground commanders from Joint Task Force “Zambasulta” (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi) led by Major General Gerry Barrientos was implementing a news blackout on the bloody clash, not responding to calls to their mobile phones.

Barrientos is also the commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.

But a source from the Westmincom confirmed the number of casualties.

At least 52 soldiers were wounded and dozens of Abu Sayyaf bandits were also wounded.

Earlier, Westmincom spokesman Tan just said there were 22 wounded soldiers from the clash.

According to Tan, citing a report from the battleground, killed among bandits was a certain Mohammad Khattab, a Moroccan terrorist. Another identified fatality was Ubdaida, son of Hapilon.

Tan said among the wounded bandits was sub-leader Radzmil Jannatul alias Kubayb.
Early this week, higher headquarters relieved the commanders of the Joint Task Groups Sulu and Tawi-Tawi because, according to some reports, of their ineffectiveness as grounds commanders in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and other private armed groups in their area of responsibility. Others say the new
movement was necessary to accommodate newly promoted senior officers.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of militants known for kidnapping foreigners and demanding huge ransoms.

Eighteen other foreign hostages are being held in Mindanao, most or all of them thought to be in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf.

The group was established in the early 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.

Its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group that controls vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Pacquiao screening called off to receive soldiers' remains

A live screening of Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao's last fight taking place in the United States, which was scheduled to show at a military gym in Zamboanga, was called off as the facility prepared to receive the bodies of the slain soldiers. 

The clash came shortly after a retired Italian priest being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf was freed on Friday.

The militant group had also threatened to kill a Norwegian and two Canadian hostages and a Filipina they kidnapped in September if a ransom was not paid by Friday. 

The military said there has been no word on the hostages' fate since the deadline passed.

Crushing ASG PNoy's last job, next president’s first - Recto

Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed sympathy for the families of the slain soldiers, as he extolled their bravery. The Basilan carnage is yet another tragic reminder of the urgent need to address poverty, which he said is a key factor in the continuing violence in Mindanao.

In the view of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, finishing off the Abu Sayyaf is this president’s last job and the next president’s first.

The ASG, he said, had plagued four presidencies "and, if not stopped, is on track to confront the fifth Malacañang occupant in their almost quarter-of-a-century of mayhem and violence."

The next presidential debate should include a question on how to end Abu Sayyaf’s terrorism and stop their expansion as an ISIS franchisee, said Recto.

Sen. Grace Poe, in a statement, condemned in the strongest possible terms the "brutal and treacherous murder of soldiers" including four who were beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

In a statement, the presidential candidate said that once more, the incident highlights the importance of giving priority to the needs of soldiers and policemen. “We condemn the Abu Sayyaf and its supporters in the strongest terms for the brutal and treacherous murder of our troops who were on legitimate military operations in Basilan,” Poe said. 

The terrorists should be immediately pursued and crushed by the full might of the military and police forces, with due regard for the safety of innocent civilians, she added.
http://interaksyon.com/article/126215/22-troops-wounded-during-clash-with-abu-sayyaf-in-basilan