MANILA, Philippines - A suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit was killed in an encounter with Marine troops in Patikul, Sulu on Saturday, officials said.
Brig. Gen. Martin Pinto, chief of the 2nd Marine Brigade, said soldiers clashed with the gunmen led by Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders Basaron Aruk and Ninok Sappari at Barangay Danag in Patikul at around 5 p.m.
Pinto said the firefight lasted for 30 minutes and left a militant killed.
“After the firefight, the Abu Sayyaf withdrew towards the direction of Barangay Tugas in the same municipality bringing along with them an undetermined number of their wounded members,†Pinto said in a statement yesterday.
Troops found bloodstains in the area where the bandits withdrew.
The body of the slain Abu Sayyaf was turned over to local officials and policemen in Barangay Danag.
“The Marines are continuously conducting clearing operation in the area and intensifying efforts to track down the Abu Sayyaf (members) who are responsible for the series of kidnapping and extortion activities in the province of Sulu,†Pinto said.
The firefight occurred on the same day officials announced the end of clashes with the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.
The Basilan clashes started last Friday and have left at least 10 bandits and two soldiers dead and 29 military personnel wounded.
Three Army officers – a colonel, a captain and a lieutenant – were said to be among the soldiers who were wounded in the gun battles with the group of Abu Sayyaf commanders Nurhasan Jamiri, Bashir Kasaran, Ibrahim Malat and Furuji Indama.
Sources previously claimed that some commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were dragged into the clash as most of their relatives are also with the Abu Sayyaf.
Last month, the government and the MILF signed a comprehensive peace agreement that could pave way for the establishment of a Bangsamoro region with an enhanced political and fiscal autonomy.