Soldier, Abu killed in fresh Sulu encounter

ZAMBOANGA CITY (AFP) – A soldier and a Muslim rebel were killed in an attack by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in Sulu, the military said yesterday.

Some 50 members of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnap gang, backed by renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), attacked a military outpost near the town of Indanan on Monday, triggering a fierce gunbattle, regional Army chief Maj. Gen. Glicerio Sua said.

One soldier and a rebel were killed in the fighting, while another soldier was wounded and airlifted to a military hospital, Sua said.

"There is a pursuit operation. Troops are running after the terrorists and there will be no letup in the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf," Sua said.

Two MG-520 attack helicopters fired rockets into suspected rebel positions near Indanan on Tuesday, but it was not immediately known if there were additional casualties, he said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of self-styled Islamic fighters who are more notorious for their deadly kidnapping raids in the south.

The group has been branded a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, which have linked it to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.