Abus kill 3 soldiers in ambush

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Abu Sayyaf militants killed three Army soldiers in an ambush in a remote village in Basilan yesterday, the military said.

The soldiers, who belonged to the 32nd Infantry Battalion, were refilling water in Sitio Puno Limbonge, Barangay Bohe Lebbung in Tipo-Tipo town when they were attacked, said Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command chief.

The attackers, led by Commander Long Malat, who was tagged in the kidnapping of a Sri Lankan peace worker in 2008 in Lamitan, Basilan, retreated minutes later as Army reinforcements arrived at the site.

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