From the Mindanao Times (Jun 18, 2023): Gunmen raid army post in Basilan (By Al Jacinto)
ZAMBOANGA CITY: A group of suspected Islamist fighters attacked an army ranger post in the town of Ungkaya Pukan in the Muslim province of Basilan in southern Philippines, sparking a gun battle that forced at least 300 people fleeing their homes to safety, police said on Saturday.Police said the fighting in Materling village began at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 16, and lasted over an hour. The exchange of fire also wounded a 38-year-old civilian identified as Aragon Sajid Abon.
Civilians from Materling, as well as those from the villages of Lower Ulitan and Bohe Suyak, fled their homes to escape the clashes. They were temporarily housed in Ma'ahad Darul Ulum.
Another report from the provincial government quoted Maj. Alphad Osalli, the town's police chief, saying the gun battle lasted until 2 p.m. when the attackers withdrew toward an unknown direction, paving the way for the immediate evacuation of the displaced villagers in coordination with social workers and municipal administrator Madznur Maturan.
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
Photos by Ungkaya Pukan police via Philippine News Agency Facebook
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the town is a known stronghold of the former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf group.
The Western Mindanao Command, meanwhile, said there was no fighting in the area, but confirmed members of the Scout Ranger were fired upon by gunmen.
"Pinaputukan lang ang post ng Ranger ng unidentified perpetrators, but there was no firefight happened," Army spokesman Maj. Andrew Linaw told The Manila Times.
Last June 6, army soldiers killed two pro-Islamic State (IS) fighters in a clash in Basilan's Sumisip town and recovered Ahmad Ibrahim Rullie, the 15-year-old son of an Indonesian suicide bombers Rullie Rian Zeke and Ulfah Handayani Saleh.
Zeke and Saleh were tagged in the January 2019 bombings of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel in downtown Jolo in Sulu province.
The slain terrorists were followers of Dawlah Islamiya (Arabic words for Islamic State) subleader Mudzrimar Sawadjaan and Abu Sayyaf subleader Pasil Bayali. There were no reports on the whereabouts of Sawadjaan and Bayali.
Leaders of both the Dawlah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf group have pledged allegiance to IS.
Basilan is one of six provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the town is a known stronghold of the former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf group.
The Western Mindanao Command, meanwhile, said there was no fighting in the area, but confirmed members of the Scout Ranger were fired upon by gunmen.
"Pinaputukan lang ang post ng Ranger ng unidentified perpetrators, but there was no firefight happened," Army spokesman Maj. Andrew Linaw told The Manila Times.
Last June 6, army soldiers killed two pro-Islamic State (IS) fighters in a clash in Basilan's Sumisip town and recovered Ahmad Ibrahim Rullie, the 15-year-old son of an Indonesian suicide bombers Rullie Rian Zeke and Ulfah Handayani Saleh.
Zeke and Saleh were tagged in the January 2019 bombings of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel in downtown Jolo in Sulu province.
The slain terrorists were followers of Dawlah Islamiya (Arabic words for Islamic State) subleader Mudzrimar Sawadjaan and Abu Sayyaf subleader Pasil Bayali. There were no reports on the whereabouts of Sawadjaan and Bayali.
Leaders of both the Dawlah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf group have pledged allegiance to IS.
Basilan is one of six provinces under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/06/18/regions/gunmen-raid-army-post-in-basilan/1896508
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