Sayyaf hit men gun down another soldier in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Assassins of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf continue their liquidations of government troops in Sulu, with a technical sergeant of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) now added to the list, the military said yesterday.

The Abu Sayyaf hit men, who belong to the newly formed liquidation squad Abu Sofian, killed T/Sgt. Pablito Rabano, assigned to the PAF Tactical Operation Group 9 (TOG 9) based in Bus-bus, Jolo, in an ambush Tuesday.

Rabano was riding a single motorcycle on his way home when he was waylaid at about 5:20 p.m. at Kasalamatan Village, said Capt. Jose Ritche Pabilonia, information chief of the Armed Forces Southern Command.

A platoon from TOG 9 and Army operatives of the Jolo Internal Defense Force responded to the scene but failed to catch up with the two hit men who fled in a motorcycle.

Rabano’s killing brought to seven the number of soldiers slain by the Abu Sayyaf since May. Two civilians were also killed.

The military has warned soldiers to take extra precautions while intelligence agents track down the killers.