MANILA, Philippines - The death toll in the encounter between military units and members of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Patikul, Sulu on Wednesday afternoon has reached 11.
According to a report, one soldier and 10 ASG members were killed while six other military troopers were wounded.
West Mindanao Command (WMC) spokesperson Major Filemon Tan said that 15 ASGs were fatally wounded.
The wounded troops are undergoing treatment at the Kutang Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Jolo, Sulu.
The government troops are in stable condition and are scheduled to be transported to the WMC headquarters in Camp Navarro Station Hospital in Zamboanga City for further treatment.
The Army rangers were conducting "focused military operations" against the ASG when a firefight erupted.
The militant group was believed to be holding victims they abducted in Samal Island last September.
Around 300 ASG bandits under Hajan Sawadjaan and members of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion were involved in the clash on Wednesday afternoon at Sitio, Barangay Buhanginan, Patikul.
The Philippines and the United States have listed al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization for kidnappings, beheadings, extortion and bomb attacks. - Patricia Lourdes Viray
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