11 dead as soldiers, Abus clash in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Eleven people were killed early yesterday as government troops clashed with Abu Sayyaf bandits in Patikul, Sulu.

The fighting left seven Marines and four Abu Sayyaf gunmen dead with nine soldiers wounded, said Col. Jose Joriel Cenabre, commanding officer of the 2nd Marine Brigade and Joint Task Force Sulu.

A Marine reconnaissance team ran into a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits in Barangay Tugas near the town of Patikul while government forces were tracking down the group suspected of kidnapping Criselda Marcos Villaraza, wife of a non-commissioned Marine officer assigned in Sulu, Cenabre said.

Villaraza, a medical technologist of the Sulu Provincial Hospital, was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf last May 18 and freed unharmed two days later, the military said.

Cenabre said the fighting was fierce and led to the big number of casualties.

“As a result of the close firefight, government forces suffered seven fatalities and nine wounded. On the enemy side there are ten wounded in action and four killed,” Cenabre said.

He said the firefight continued until 10 a.m. while the militants tried to escape.

The military identified two of the slain militants as Kausar Sawadjaan and Commander Apong Idol.

The names of the government casualties were not made available pending notification of their immediate families.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said the wounded Marines were airlifted to a military hospital in Zamboanga City, adding none of their injuries was life-threatening.

Tutaan noted the fighting was close and intense. “The close-quarter combat resulted in casualties on both sides,” he said.

Cenabre added joint military and police forces were conducting follow-up operations against the gunmen. 

The AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) has dispatched two U-IH and two MG520 helicopters to Patikul to provide air cover to the pursuing troops as well as to conduct evacuation operations for the wounded Marines. –  Jaime Laude