3 dead, 3 wounded in Army clash with Abu Sayyaf rebels

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A junior army officer and two alleged Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed while three others were wounded in a fierce gunbattle in Sumisip, Basilan, the military reported yesterday.

The encounter in Basilan erupted at about 9 p.m. on Sunday in Sitio Baag, Barangay Guiong, a village known as a former haven of the Abu Sayyaf group.

Brig. Gen. Bonifacio Ramos, 103rd Army Brigade commander said elements of the 32nd Infantry Battalion, under Alpha Company, were conducting routine combat patrol when they encountered the suspected Abu Sayyaf men.

A junior army officer leading the patrol was killed on the spot, while two soldiers and a Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) member accompanying them were seriously wounded in the hour-long battle.

Reinforcement from the 32nd IB backed up the beleaguered troop and forced the gunmen to retreat.

The bodies of two rebels who were killed in the shootout were recovered by the pursuing troops.

Ramos said the troops were able to inflict heavy casualties on the rebel side during the firefight.

The military commander said troops have been in hot pursuit of the rebels, believed to be under the command of Hamsiraji Sali, alias Commander Jose Ramirez, who were monitored moving towards the jungles of Sampinit complex.

The identities of the slain junior officer and wounded soldiers and CAFGU were not immediately made available as the victims’ relatives have yet to be informed.

They were airlifted Monday to the Southern Command hospital. — With AFP