2 Army troopers killed in Sulu ambush
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Two Army troopers were killed in an ambush by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Patikul town in Sulu Sunday.
Pfcs. Rey Lucasan and Bryan Sayson, both of the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion, were on a motorcycle when they were shot by four bandits at around 5 p.m.
They died at the scene and their bodies were brought to this city on board a commercial vessel.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, chief of the Joint Task Group Sulu, said the troopers were in civilian clothes and were on their way to the headquarters from the market when the gunmen waylaid them in Barangay Latih.
Arrojado said two of the assailants were identified by their aliases as Surata and Mujir, who were said to be under the command of Abu Sayyaf leader Muammar Askali alias Abu Ramy.
Troops deployed to pursue the bandits caught up with a group of armed men believed to be behind the ambush on two Army troopers.
A firefight erupted for five minutes until the bandits escaped.
Soldiers recovered two rifles and a mobile phone at the site of the encounter. – With Jaime Laude
- Latest
- Trending
