Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Marines kill 2 Abu Sayyaf militants on southern Philippine island (7:36 p.m.)
MANILA -- Philippine marines killed two Abu Sayyaf gunmen in an assault on the militants' encampment early Tuesday in a southern island province, a military commander said.
There were about 40 militants at the camp, comprising both Abu Sayyaf and "rogue elements" of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front led by Furuji Indama, said Lt. Col. Vincent Teodoro.
Indama is wanted in connection with the beheading of 10 marines in July in Basilan province.
One marine was wounded in the gun fight in the remote Ungkaya Pukan township, about 880 kilometers (550 miles) south of Manila, he said.
Teodoro said battles continued sporadically throughout the day and reinforcements increased the number of militants to about 100. Government reinforcements also were pouring into the area, he said.
The U.S. government and the European Union have blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf - notorious for deadly bombings, beheadings and ransom kidnappings - as a terrorist organization.
The Philippine military has credited counterterrorism training by the U.S. military for putting the Abu Sayyaf on the run and for the killing and arrest of its key leaders. (AP) |
