Death toll in Basilan clash rises to 7

MANILA, Philippines - The Western Mindanao Command on Saturday announced that the death toll in Friday's clash with the Abu Sayyaf Group bandits in Basilan has risen to seven - five from the rebels and two from government troops.

A report by state-run Philippine News Agency quoted Capt. Rowena Muyuela, WestMinCom spokesperson, saying that besides the casualties, 28 government troopers were wounded while the bandits sustained an undetermined number of wounded.

The wounded  military personnel, who were hit by a shrapnel, have been evacuated and undergoing treatment at  the Camp Navarro Station Hospital in Zamboanga City.

Muyuela identified two of the five ASG dead as Assi Kalitot and Basri Musa, members of ASG leader Isnilon Hapilon's group.

Fighting broke out around 2:25 a.m. Friday when the military conducted an operation to arrest members of the ASG  Furuji Indama's group, who were the suspects in a number of extortion and kidnapping incidents in the Mindanao area.

The group is also believed to be seeking a P5-million extortion money from the contractors of the Magkawa-Al Barka Road project.

The Abu Sayyaf, which is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations, was founded in 1991 on Basilan with reported funds and training from Asian and Middle Eastern radical groups, including al-Qaida. It came to U.S. attention in 2001 when it kidnapped three Americans, one of whom was beheaded, along with dozens of Filipinos.

The group is still holding a number of hostages in the vast jungles of nearby Sulu province, including two European bird watchers, who were kidnapped two years ago. - with AP