From Malaya Business Insight (Jan 13): Army captain killed in clash with Abu Sayyaf
AN Army captain was killed in a firefight with the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan yesterday, the first reported military death since AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año set a new six-month target for defeating the bandit group notorious for kidnap-for-ransom activities.
Four other soldiers incurred minor injuries during the firefight, said Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City.
The casualties were from the 4th Special Forces Battalion, an elite unit of the Army, Tan said but declined to name them pending notification of their families.
Tan said the soldiers were on combat operation in Barangay Cabcaban, Sumisip town at around 7:10 a.m. when they clashed with an undetermined number of Abu Sayyaf men under Furuji Indama.
Tan said the sporadic fighting was ongoing as of around 5 p.m. yesterday. Tan said artillery units were alerted “for possible indirect fire support toward enemy locations.”
He said troops from the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion, 68th and 64th Infantry Battalions “were advised to move closer towards the encounter site in order to reinforce and block possible enemy withdrawal routes.”
Año set the new deadline to defeat the Abu Sayyaf, the Maute group, and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters during a command conference on Friday last week.
Año’s predecessor, Ricardo Visaya, also aimed to end the Abu Sayyaf but failed. The Abu Sayyaf even stepped up kidnapping activities during the time of Visaya as AFP chief.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/army-captain-killed-clash-abu-sayyaf
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