6 Abus killed in Sulu conflict

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Six terrorists were killed and 13 soldiers were wounded after troops clashed with an Abu Sayyaf band and fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Indanan, Sulu on Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, Joint Special Operations Group commander, said the 13 wounded Army Scout Rangers were treated at a field hospital in Busbus, Jolo.

"There has been a lull situation, but the area remains tense because the terrorist elements are still holed out in the area in Barangay Buansa," he said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney told reporters yesterday the US military is sharing intelligence information with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the fight against terrorists.

"We have great confidence in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and we feel very confident they are going to prevail," she said in an interview at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"We share intelligence with Philippine troops, and I think that is making a big difference. But it’s the brave Philippine soldiers that are on the frontlines and they make all of us very proud."

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Dolorfino, a government peace negotiator, said the troops had strayed into an MNLF stronghold while pursuing the Abu Sayyaf.

"The fighting was stopped because there was communication between the two groups," he said in a telephone interview. "When they learned that it’s the military and MNLF fighting, they immediately disengaged."

Dolorfino said the MNLF fighters evacuated their camp and gathered by the roadside so they could easily be identified and the Abu Sayyaf terrorists fled.

The Abu Sayyaf often seek sanctuary with the MNLF in hopes of provoking a clash between the government and the MNLF, he added.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, Armed Forces spokesman, said last Sunday’s fighting was an offshoot of a series of skirmishes between the Scout Rangers and about 40 Abu Sayyaf terrorists led by Dr. Abu Pula and Radullan Sahiron at Barangay Buansa on Saturday.

"Our troops are not allowed to enter MNLF-held territory without prior coordination," he said. – Roel Pareño, Jaime Laude, Michael Punongbayan