ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Two Abu Sayyaf members, one of them a commander, were killed and another one was captured in a fresh encounter with the Army’s elite troops in Tipo Tipo, Basilan yesterday.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said troops from the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion clashed with a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Commander Patti Kabulot at around 5:45 a.m. in Sitio Basak, Barangay Baguindan.
The firefight, which lasted for 45 minutes, resulted in the death of Kabulot and Bomboh Indama, reportedly an uncle of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama.
State troops captured suspected Abu Sayyaf member Madar Kabulot, said to be a cousin of the slain commander.
There were no reported casualties on the military’s side.
Recovered at the site of the encounter were a rocket-propelled grenade with two live ammunition, two M-16 rifles, a long and a short M-16 magazine, a knife, several K3 live ammunition, a bandoleer, several military uniforms, personal belongings, and documents with high intelligence value.
The incident is the first armed encounter between the military and the Abu Sayyat this year.
The Abu Sayyaf, said to have links with international terrorist group al-Qaeda, has been tagged in various kidnappings and bombings in various parts of the country.
In a report released last month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it has reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf members to 340 in 2010 from 391 the previous year.
The number of firearms of the terrorist group has also been slashed to 296 last year from 340 in 2009.
The AFP said its “relentless combat operations” have resulted in the killing of Abu Sayyaf leaders Albader Parad and Abdulgafur Jumdail in separate encounters in Sulu last year.
The military said terrorist attacks have been reduced to 29 last year from 54 in 2009. – Alexis Romero, Roel Pareño and Rose Tamayo