A SUSPECTED member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was killed in a 35-minute firefight on Saturday, June 16, as government offensive continued against the terror group in the hinterlands of Sulu.
Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said the firefight broke out around 3:20 p.m. Saturday when troops of the Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion chanced upon a group of about 40 suspected bandits led by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan in Sitio Sailih in Panglayahan, Patikul town.
Pabayo said no one among the troops were killed or injured. The bandits fled as the troops outmaneuvered them.
The troops have recovered improvised bombs and personal belongings abandoned by the ASG bandits.
“We are thankful for the information given by the local populace every time the bandits come to the area,” Pabayo said.
“Aside from protecting the people, we also have to secure on-going government flagship projects there that are meant to deliver services to the communities,” Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, added.