ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Fourteen suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits and a soldier were killed in a firefight in Sulu that ended yesterday.
Officials said 19 soldiers were wounded in the firefight that broke out in the suspected jungle hideout of the bandit group in Sitio Kanjimao, Barangay Buhanginan, Patikul town.
The clashes began Tuesday afternoon and ended 10 hours later, said Brig. Gen. Martin Pinto, chief of the 2nd Marine Brigade and Joint Special Task Force Sulu.
The fighting broke out a day after government forces drove out the bandits from the camp.
2nd Marine Brigade spokesman Capt. Ryan Lacuesta said the gun battle raged for several hours while the Abu Sayyaf were trying to consolidate their forces in an attempt to retake the camp.
Lacuesta said the bandits tried to overwhelm the troops to regain the camp but were repulsed by air support.
“They tried to overrun our position. They thought that only a handful of Marines were guarding their former camp when they launched their assault to retake it,†he said.
Lacuesta said mortar and rifle grenades from the bandits hit most of the wounded soldiers.
Lacuesta said the air support forced the bandits to withdraw, dragging their wounded with them.
Among the wounded was Yasser Igasan, who was said to be the conduit of the bandit group to the al-Qaeda terror network.
Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Capt. Ma. Rowena Muyuela said they are verifying this information.
Earlier last month, soldiers based in Basilan also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf, leaving 18 militants and two soldiers dead.
The fighting in the outskirts of Tipo-Tipo town also left 29 soldiers wounded, including three officers.
The Abu Sayyaf gained notoriety for bombings, extortion, kidnappings and beheadings of foreign missionaries and tourists in Mindanao.
An estimated 300 militants, split into several factions, still hold several hostages in their Sulu jungle bases, including two European bird watchers who were kidnapped two years ago.
Security officials believed the Chinese tourist and a Filipino hotel worker who were recently kidnapped from a dive resort in Malaysia’s Sabah state were also brought to the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. –Jaime Laude