Three Muslim rebels and two soldiers were killed Friday in a
day-long gunbattle between troops and Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf extremists
blamed for beheadings and kidnappings in the southern Philippines
The fighting began as part of an operation to capture Abu
Sayyaf commander Puruji Indama, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon
Zagala said in a brief statement, and sporadic gunfire continued into the
night.
"As of this time, 29 WIA (soldiers wounded in action)
and two KIA (soldiers killed in action). Enemy, three killed," Zagala
said.
The gunbattle with Indama's band of about 20 fighters is centred
in a rural area of Basilan, around 900 kilometres (560 miles) south of the
Philippine capital Manila
Basilan town official Alton Angeles said he saw two
helicopter gunships heading to the scene of the fighting but the military would
not confirm this.
Indama, who has a bounty of 3.3 million pesos ($74,500) on
his head, has been blamed for holding foreigners for ransom in the southern Philippines
The rebel chief gained prominence when he helped lead an
attack on a military convoy in 2007, killing 14 soldiers, beheading many of
them.
Extortion activities
The military launched the attack in response to Indama's
recent extortion demands on workers building a vital road on the strife-torn
southern island, Zagala said.
Abu Sayyaf is a self-styled Islamic militant group which was
set up in the 1990s with seed money from the late Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda
network, and has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in the country's
history including bombings.
Its militants have defied US-backed military campaigns
against it by melding into and drawing support from Muslim communities in the
southern Philippines who
feel they have been persecuted for centuries by Christian rulers in Manila
Abu Sayyaf members are also believed to have been involved
in the kidnapping of a Chinese tourist and a Filipina worker from a Malaysian
dive resort on April 2.
It is thought the hostages have been hidden on the southern
Philippine island
of Jolo
Jolo and Basilan, which are about 70 kilometres apart, are
both known strongholds of the group.
But Zagala said the Basilan operation was not linked to the
kidnapping in Malaysia
"This is very specific. It is concentrated on Puruji
Indama. He has long been targeted. It is separate from the kidnapping incident.
There are other groups who are tasked to do that search," he said.
President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma said on
Friday the Philippine police were "doing everything that is possible"
to track down the kidnappers.
Hot pursuit
Government troops were earlier on Friday reported to be hot
on the trail of the Abu Sayyaf bandits who disrupted the implementation of a
road concreting project in the municipality
of Tipo-Tipo
A Westmincom statement quoted Brigadier General Carlito
Galvez Jr., commander of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, as saying Abu
Sayyaf fighters under Furuji Indama were occupying school buildings in Barangay
Baguindan.
The clash broke out around 2:25 a.m. in the course of an
operation to capture or drive away Indama and his men, who reportedly were
trying to extort money from the ongoing construction of the Magkawa-Albarka Road
Westmincom said the government casualties were airlifted to Zamboanga City
It said it would commit “all available air and Naval assets”
to support the operations against Indama and his band.
Govt contractors victimized
Westmincom information officer Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela
the group of Indama is responsible in extortion activities victimizing project
contractors concreting the Magkawa-Al-Barka section of the Basilan Circumferential Road
The pursuit operation followed two clashes early Friday that
left 18 soldiers from the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion wounded.
Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade information officer Capt.
Richard Enciso disclosed that eight of the 18 soldiers were wounded when a
clash erupted around 2:25 a.m. Friday in at Sitio Kurellem, Barangay Silangkum,
Tipo-Tipo.
Another clash ensued several minutes later in the same area
that resulted in the injury of another 10 soldiers.
Enciso said the Abu Sayyaf bandits were believed to have
also suffered casualties during the two succeeding clashes.
Muyuela said the soldiers, who suffered slight injuries,
were airlifted to the military’s Camp
Navarro General Hospital
Muyuela said the troops were conducting combat operations
when they encountered a group from the Indama-led Abu Sayyaf bandits.
Muyuela said the combat operation is primarily aimed against
the Abu Sayyaf bandits extorting from contractors undertaking government
projects in Tipo-Tipo area.
She said the combat operation is purposely to clear the
areas of Tipo-Tipo and Albarka of Abu Sayyaf influence to pave the way for the
normalization and development of the two depressed areas.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/84594/5-dead-29-wounded-in-clash-with-abu-sayyaf-in-basilan-military
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