Six ASG killed, 13 soldiers wounded in Sulu clash

By Ronron
February 26, 2007

Six alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were reportedly killed while 13 government soldiers were wounded following an encounter Sunday in the island province of Sulu in southern Philippines.

Military officials said the fresh encounter happened at around 4:30 pm at Barangay Buanza in Indanan town as members of the 4th and 6th Scout Rangers Company conducted follow up operations to the encounter on Saturday in the same place that resulted in the killing of one ASG member and the wounding of one soldier.

Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, chief of the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) based in Sulu, said the more or less 40 rebels in Sunday’s clash include a few renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“They ran to the MNLF area. It appears that the MNLF joined in the firefight,” said Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the First Scout Rangers Regiment (FSRR), in a separate interview.

“It could be part of the strategy of the ASG if indeed they went to the MNLF area so that the troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can not follow them,” explained Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP Public Information Officer.

Bacarro said the rebels were believed to be under the command of ASG sub-leader Dr. Abu and Radullan Sahiron.

He said the firefight lasted for one and a half hours.

Aside from killing some rebels, the military believes a number of other ASG members were wounded in the encounter but were brought along by their fleeing comrades.

The AFP has launched Operation Plan (OPLAN) Ultimatum on August 1, 2006 to put an end to the ASG and Jeemah Islamiyah in Sulu.

So far, it has resulted in the killing of ASG leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Jainal Antel Sali, Jr., alias Abu Solaiman./DMS