The number of casualties of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) that
clashed with the government troops on Friday has increased to 11 deaths the
initial report of six.
Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom)
spokesman, said the pursuing troops have received intelligence information that
five more ASG members have died.
Tan said the five who died were among the wounded Abu Sayyaf
bandits dragged by their comrades following a 45-minute firefight.
The clash broke out around 6:12 a.m. Friday when the troops
spotted more or less 100 Abu Sayyaf bandits while scouring Sitio Makaita,
Barangay Bungkaung, Patikul, Sulu.
Tan said one of the 11 killed Abu Sayyaf bandits was
Mohammad Said alias Ama Maas, who has five standing warrants of arrest for
murder.
He said the troops have recovered the remains of Said and
that of other five slain Abu Sayyaf followers at the clash site.
He said Mohammad was involved in the September 21, 2015
kidnapping of three foreigners and a Filipino woman from a resort in the Island
Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits have beheaded two of the three
foreign hostages, both Canadians, on separate occasions and released the
Filipino hostage.
The remaining foreign hostages seized in the Island Garden
City of Samal is a Norwegian.
Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo Dela Cruz said some of the soldiers who
were wounded in action are currently undergoing medical treatment in Sulu and
will later be transported to this city for further medication.
Dela Cruz said the others who were slightly wounded opted to
stay and continue the pursuit operations.
“Our troops are extremely motivated, they know that this
fight against terrorism is greater than themselves. Sa totoo lang, 17 ang
sugatan natin pero 10 dun ay slightly wounded lang, nagpaiwan sila para sumama
uli sa operation at ipagpatuloy ang laban,” Dela Cruz said.
“Ganyan katindi ang pagtingin namin sa misyon na ito lalo na
sa utos ng ating Commander-in-Chief. He gave a specific order. The mission is
clear. Seek and destroy the ASG. By all means that’s what we are doing and we
will not stop until it’s done,” Dela Cruz added.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to
relentlessly pursue the ASG after the bandits beheaded on Wednesday an
18-year-old boy they seized in July this year in Jolo, Sulu.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=917670
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