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Wednesday, October 03, 2007
15 killed in clash in southern RP
MANILA -- Philippine troops clashed with suspected Muslim militants on two southern islands Tuesday, leaving four navy commandos and 11 of the guerrillas dead, a military spokesman said.
The first fighting took place on the small island of Lanhil, northeast of Basilan island where US-backed troops have been pursuing al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels, said Major Eugene Batara, spokesman for the military's Southwestern Command in Zamboanga city.
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He said troops were responding to reports from civilians that "lawless elements" had infiltrated Lanhil when the clash erupted shortly after midnight.
Batara said four commandos and 10 of the attackers were killed in a 35-minute gunfight. Two sailors were wounded but in a stable condition, he added.
He said the rebel group was led by two brothers who had previously operated under a commander of the Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for bomb attacks, kidnappings and beheadings.
Army troops patrolling a hinterland area clashed separately with about 50 Abu Sayyaf gunmen on nearby Jolo island in a brief gunbattle that killed at least one militant and wounded a soldier, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said.
The militants fled in small groups.
Soldiers recovered an M16 rifle, a military uniform and a backpack with personal belongings at the scene of the fighting near Jolo's Talipao town, Bacarro said.
Abu Sayyaf militants and cohorts from Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah terror network have used Basilan and Jolo to evade government forces.
According to military officials, they have sought refuge with Muslim separatists who signed a ceasefire with the government.
At least 50 government troops were killed, some of them beheaded, in fighting in July and August.
Last week, two soldiers were killed and 10 wounded on Basilan when troops, searching for Abu Sayyaf militants, clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels (MILF).
The MILF rebels have denied links with terrorists. (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (October 3, 2007 issue)
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