7 Marines killed, 21 wounded in clash with Abus

MANILA, Philippines - At least seven soldiers were killed and 21 others were wounded in an encounter with Abu Sayyaf rebels yesterday in the hinterlands of Patikul town in Sulu. 

Lt. Col. Randolf Cabangbang, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the troops under Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 (MBLT-11) clashed with the group of Abu Sayyaf leaders Radullan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon at about 4:30 a.m. 

The identities of the slain soldiers have been withheld pending notification of their families.

Cabangbang said the Abu Sayyaf group also suffered heavy casualties. 

“Our troops were pursuing a small group of armed men who were holding captives when they found themselves in the middle of the Abu Sayyaf’s main base. That would explain our losses,” he said.

He said there were an estimated 70 rebels in the base, which served as the headquarters of Sahiron and Hapilon.

Some Indonesian and Malaysian militants were believed to have been there, he added. 

“We hit the militants’ nerve center, so there was heavy resistance,” Cabangbang said. 

Reports reaching Fort Bonifacio said elements of MBLT-11 were executing Oplan Wildfinger when ambushed by Abu Sayyaf rebels.

The operation targets the group of the 70-year-old Sahiron, the most senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf, who lost one of his arms in an encounter with the military.

The US government has put up a $1-million bounty for the capture of Sahiron, while the US State Department has offered a $5-million cash reward for the capture of Hapilon.

Sulu island commander Brig. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo requested for air support to cover the troops and evacuate the wounded. Cabangbang said the troops were having problems extricating the victims because the site of the encounter is remote and thickly forested. 

He said some of the wounded were already brought to a trauma hospital inside the 3rd Marine Brigade in Camp Bautista in Barangay Busbus in Jolo town.

“Pursuit operations are still underway,” said a Marine officer monitoring the ongoing full-scale military operations in Sulu from his office at Fort Bonifacio. – With Jaime Laude