Fresh Fighting Leaves 13 Sayyaf, Soldiers Dead In Jolo Island

Philippine troops in Jolo island prepare to battle Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya. At least 10 militants and three soldiers are dead in fresh fighting Thursday, Jan. 18, 2006 in Jolo's Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 18 Jan) – At least 13 Abu Sayyaf militants and soldiers were killed in fierce fighting that erupted Thursday in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, where security forces were battling the al-Qaeda-linked terror group, officials said.

Officials said two Abu Sayyaf gunmen were also captured by soldiers in the hinterland village of Timpook in Patikul town, where the gun battle broke out shortly before noontime.

“Troops killed at least 10 enemies and captured two others, but three of our soldiers also died in the fighting in Patikul town. The fighting is still raging in the area,” Army Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The fighting broke out after soldiers caught up with a band of Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the village, he said.

The military on Wednesday sent more troops to the troubled island to help hundreds of soldiers already on Jolo fighting the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants.

Security officials previously said that as many as six Indonesian militants are hiding in Jolo, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who were both suspected of playing a role in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 mostly foreigners.

On Tuesday, Filipino troops, guided by U.S. military intelligence, raided an Abu Sayyaf hideout on Bud Dajo (also called Mount Daho) in Jolo’s Talipao town, south of Patikul, and killed a senior militant leader, Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. alias Abu Solaiman.

The latest fighting came ahead of a planned visit in Jolo of U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice before the start of new joint RP-US anti-terror exercises next month on the island.

The Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya are both in the U.S. list of international terrorist organizations, blamed for the kidnappings of foreigners and spate of bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia. (Mindanao Examiner)