ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 01, 2007) – Government soldiers clashed with Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, killing a sub-leader and wounding several others, officials said on Thursday.
Officials said the fighting erupted in the hinterland village of Kapayawan near Isabela City after troops stormed an Abu Sayyaf hideout late Wednesday.
There were no reports of military casualties and officials said troops were still tracking down other militants who escaped the fighting. The body of the slain militant, believed that of Ayong Ikung, had been recovered by soldiers, including several weapons and explosives.
“The killing of the Abu Sayyaf shows the government is winning the war on terror and we will continue our operation against the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless groups,” Major Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Little was known about Ikung or whether he was involved in previous attacks on soldiers in Basilan, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City, also targeted in the past by Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
Washington listed the Abu Sayyaf and the two other groups as foreign terrorist organizations and has offered tens of millions in dollars in rewards for the capture of its known leaders.
President Gloria Arroyo also set aside more than one hundred million pesos in bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. The US is helping Manila defeat terrorism and sent soldiers to train Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare. (Mindanao Examiner)
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