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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
5 killed, 4 wounded in fierce clashes in Basilan
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Troops killed at least five gunmen with links to the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group in fierce clashes Monday in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, provincial and military officials said.
Military officials said four soldiers were wounded in the fighting that erupted before sunrise in the hinterland village of Semut in Tuburan town. A still undetermined number of gunmen were also killed and wounded in the clashes.
"We have no reports of civilian casualties, but we are closely monitoring the situation in the area," Christopher Puno, a spokesman for Governor Wahab Akbar, said by phone from Basilan.
The clashes coincided with the formal opening of the joint anti-terrorism drill between the Philippines and the United States in nearby Jolo island.
"At least 5 lawless elements with links to the Abu Sayyaf were killed in the fighting, but there could be more casualties on the enemy side based on intercepted radio messages. We have recovered the bodies of the gunmen," Major Gamal Hayudini, a spokesman for the Southern Command, said.
A military report said villagers secretly tipped off the army in the town about the presence of armed men under Panjang Hasim, whose group is tied to the Abu Sayyaf.
The group is suspected of being behind a bomb attack outside a military base in Jolo island late Saturday that killed two civilians -- Domingo de Leon and Gani Muksan -- and wounded more than two dozen others.
The attack targeted a karaoke bar just several meters away from the military base, where more than 100 US troops are encamped. There were no reports of US casualties, said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mark Zimmer. "All Americans are accounted for," he said.
Jolo is one of three areas in the Philippines where US and Filipino troops are currently conducting joint anti-terrorism drills. US troops are restricted inside military camps during the month long training, dubbed as Balikatan 2006.
Washington listed the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and offered as much as $5 million dollars bounty for the group's known leaders.
Patrolling troops also killed three members of the communist New People's Army (NPA) in a clash Saturday in the southern province of Davao del Norte, said Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Simbahon, spokesman for the Army's 4th Infantry Division.
He said the soldiers, led by Corporal Allan Madrid, ran into a group of about 30 communist rebels in the village of Santo Nino in Talaingod town, sparking a fierce two-hour gun battle that also wounded a still undetermined number of gunmen.
"Army chief Lieutenant General Hermogenes Esperon commended the soldiers for their gallant actions and bravery even though they were outnumbered by the enemies," Simbahon said.
The NPA, armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF), is fighting the past three decades to topple the government and install a Maoist state in the country.
Peace negotiations between Manila and the rebels collapsed following the pullout of the National Democratic Front (NDF) from the talks due to its inclusion in the terror lists of the United States and the European Union. Rebel leaders demanded that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ask the United States and the European Union to strike them off from the terror lists before they resume peace talks.
The rebels have vowed to step up attacks on government targets after Manila last year suspended safety and immunity guarantee for its negotiators following the collapse of the peace talks. (Al Jacinto of Sun.Star Zamboanga/Sunnex)
(February 21, 2006 issue)
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