Three alleged Abus, two soldiers killed in Sulu encounter

By Ronron
Feb. 4, 2008

Three alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and two government
soldiers died in an encounter before dawn Monday in Sulu province, a
military spokesman said.

Maj. Eugene Batara, Public Information Officer of the Armed Forces
Western Mindanao Command, said the clash happened at around 3am at
Barangay Ipil in Maimbung town, and lasted for about an hour.

Batara said in a phone interview that the incident was a result of an
operation against the abductors of a Filipino-Chinese businesswoman
last week in Jolo town.

"This is part of it," he told Defense reporters when asked if the
incident was a rescue operation to get Rosalie Lao.

Batara said the government troops come from the Naval Special
Operations Group and the Army's 3rd Light Reaction Company, while the
undetermined number of armed men are believed to be under the command
of Abu Pula alias Dr. Abu, and Albader Parad.

Pula and Parad have $100,000 and $15,000 bounty, respectively, for
their neutralization.

Aside from the slain two soldiers, five others were also wounded in
the clash, Batara said. On the part of the bandits, he said they
believe they also suffered some casualties.

"We have reports from the civilians that they enemy dragged two
wounded on their way to retreat," Batara said.

He said government soldiers recovered an M16 rifle from one of the
dead bandits.

Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., meanwhile,
said in a separate interview at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday afternoon
that the injured soldiers were immediately attended to by the military
trauma hospital in Jolo town.

Esperon said that while the troops thought they could rescue a kidnap
victim, they actually did not find one.

Batara said pursuit operations are ongoing against the rebels upon the
order of area commander Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga./DMS