Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said the soldiers from the 2nd Marine Brigade were on tracking operations when they caught up with a large group of Abu Sayyaf terrorists at about 6:45 a.m. in Tugas village.
The firefight had lasted for over an hour before the bandits fled, Tutaan said, adding that pursuit operations are ongoing.
“The soldiers were on tracking operations against those involved in recent kidnapping incidents in Sulu, when the firefight in Barangay Tugas occurred…. It was a long firefight. Unfortunately, seven personnel were killed in action and nine were slightly wounded,” said Tutaan.
“On the side of the Abu Sayyaf, five were reported killed and some were wounded based on reports I got. The pursuit operations are ongoing right now… As we speak, the fighting has stopped and we are on pursuit operations,” he added.
Tutaan was uncertain as to the number of the bandits the soldiers encountered, but he said "it was a large group," which the military believed responsible for recent Sulu kidnapping incidents, in which a wife of a Marine soldier was among the victims.
But he said the bloody clash on Saturday does not mean the Abu Sayyaf is still a force to contend with. “Timing is a big factor…. I think it was a frontal encounter.”
Latest military estimate placed the strength of the Abu Sayyaf to about 300, mostly based in Sulu and in Basilan.
The group is behind a number of high-profile attacks, including bombings and kidnappings in Sulu.
Moreover, Tutaan said AFP Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo and 2nd Marine Brigade commander Col. Jose Johnriel Cenabre are on top of the ongoing security operations against the group.
Founded using seed money from the al Qaeda international terrorist network in the 1990s, the Abu Sayyaf is blamed for the worst terror attacks in the country, including the firebombing of a ferry in Manila Bay and abductions of foreign tourists.
The group is on the US government's list of so-called foreign terrorist organizations.
About 600 US troops have been rotating through the southern Philippines for a decade to help train local troops in hunting the Abu Sayyaf, who enjoy local support at their bases in some of the poorest areas of the Philippines. — with a report from Agence France-Presse/ LBG, GMA News
7 sundalo patay, 9 sugatan sa sagupaan sa Sulu
Umabot sa 12 katao ang namatay sa bakbakan sa pagitan ng militar at bandidong ABu Sayyaf sa Patikul, Sulu, samantalang siyam naman ang sugatan sa puwersa ng pamahalaan, ayon sa tagapagsalita ng militar.
Sa 12, kabilang ang pitong Marines at limang miyembro ng bandidong Abu Sayyaf.
Ayon kay Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, nasa isang tracking operation ang mga tropa ng 2nd Marine Brigade nang maka-engkwentro ang mga bandido dakong 8:45 ng umaga sa Barangay Tugas.
Nagtagal ang putukan ng mahigit isang oras bago tumakas ang mga bandido, na patuloy pa ring tinutugis hanggang ngayon.
“The soldiers were on tracking operations against those involved in recent kidnapping incidents in Sulu, when the firefight in Barangay Tugas occurred…. It was a long firefight. Unfortunately, seven personnel were killed in action and nine were slightly wounded,” sabi ni Tutaan.
“On the side of the Abu Sayyaf, five were reported killed and some were wounded based on reports I got. The pursuit operations are ongoing right now… As we speak, the fighting has stopped and we are on pursuit operations,” dagdag niya.
Ayon kay Tutaan, hindi niya masabi kung gaano karami ang mga bandido pero "it was a large group," at sila ay itinuturong nasa likod ng serye ng mga pangdukot ng ilang mga biktima, kasama na ang asawa ng isang Marine officer.
Hindi naman nagangahulugang dapat katakutan na ang Abu Sayyaf dahil sa pangyayari. “Timing is a big factor…. I think it was a frontal encounter,” ayon kay Tutaan.
Ayon sa estima ng militar, nasa 300 na lamang ang ABu Sayyaf at matatagpuan sa Sulu at Basilan.
Ang grupo ay nasa likod ng high-profile na pag-atake kasama na ang pagbomba at mga pagdukot sa Sulu.
Dagdag ni Tutaan, patuloy na nakasubaybay sina AFP Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo at 2nd Marine Brigade commander Col. Jose Johnriel Cenabre sa sitwasyon sa lugar.
Ang Abu Sayyaf ay nasa listahan ng terroist organizations ng Amerika.
Mahigit 600 na sundalong Amerikano ang ipinapadala sa Mindanao upang tumulong sa pagsasanay ng mga Pilipinong sundalo laban sa Abu Sayyaf. — JGV, RC /LBG, GMA News
Sa 12, kabilang ang pitong Marines at limang miyembro ng bandidong Abu Sayyaf.
Ayon kay Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, nasa isang tracking operation ang mga tropa ng 2nd Marine Brigade nang maka-engkwentro ang mga bandido dakong 8:45 ng umaga sa Barangay Tugas.
Nagtagal ang putukan ng mahigit isang oras bago tumakas ang mga bandido, na patuloy pa ring tinutugis hanggang ngayon.
“The soldiers were on tracking operations against those involved in recent kidnapping incidents in Sulu, when the firefight in Barangay Tugas occurred…. It was a long firefight. Unfortunately, seven personnel were killed in action and nine were slightly wounded,” sabi ni Tutaan.
“On the side of the Abu Sayyaf, five were reported killed and some were wounded based on reports I got. The pursuit operations are ongoing right now… As we speak, the fighting has stopped and we are on pursuit operations,” dagdag niya.
Ayon kay Tutaan, hindi niya masabi kung gaano karami ang mga bandido pero "it was a large group," at sila ay itinuturong nasa likod ng serye ng mga pangdukot ng ilang mga biktima, kasama na ang asawa ng isang Marine officer.
Hindi naman nagangahulugang dapat katakutan na ang Abu Sayyaf dahil sa pangyayari. “Timing is a big factor…. I think it was a frontal encounter,” ayon kay Tutaan.
Ayon sa estima ng militar, nasa 300 na lamang ang ABu Sayyaf at matatagpuan sa Sulu at Basilan.
Ang grupo ay nasa likod ng high-profile na pag-atake kasama na ang pagbomba at mga pagdukot sa Sulu.
Dagdag ni Tutaan, patuloy na nakasubaybay sina AFP Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo at 2nd Marine Brigade commander Col. Jose Johnriel Cenabre sa sitwasyon sa lugar.
Ang Abu Sayyaf ay nasa listahan ng terroist organizations ng Amerika.
Mahigit 600 na sundalong Amerikano ang ipinapadala sa Mindanao upang tumulong sa pagsasanay ng mga Pilipinong sundalo laban sa Abu Sayyaf. — JGV, RC /LBG, GMA News
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