AN ABU Sayyaf bandit was killed, while a soldier was wounded in a clash in the hinterlands of Sulu, the military reported Wednesday, April 29.
Major General Corleto Vinluan, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said the firefight broke out around 7:36 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, when the troops chanced upon around 20 Abu Sayyaf bandits while on security patrol in Tumatangis village in Indanan, Sulu.
Vinluan said the firefight, which lasted for about nine minutes, resulted in the death of an Abu Sayyaf bandit while a soldier was injured. The bandits fled to different directions.
The troops have recovered the remains of the slain Abu Sayyaf bandit and an M-16 Armalite rifle with attached M-203 grenade launcher.
Vinluan did not release the identity of the wounded soldier but said he belongs to the Army's 41st Infantry Battalion.
Vinluan said the troops continue to track down the Abu Sayyaf bandits, who are still holding captive five Indonesian fishermen.
The five Indonesian fishermen were fishing on January 17, 2020 on the waters of Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia when the Abu Sayyaf seized them.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said the focused military operations will not falter since there are sufficient troops to pursue the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
Sobejana said they will not allow the bandit group to take advantage of the situation, although "some of our troops are deployed to assist the local government units in the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). (SunStar Zamboanga)