ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 19, 2014) – At least 20 soldiers were killed and wounded in fierce clashes with Abu Sayyaf militants on Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, reports said.
The fighting, which erupted in the town of Patikul, a known stronghold of the militant group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya, killed seven soldiers, including a lieutenant; and wounded at least 13 more. There were no immediate reports of Abu Sayyaf casualties.
The wounded soldiers were airlifted to the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City. The Philippine military in Manila has confirmed the reports, but military and police commanders in Sulu and Zamboanga City have not issued any statement about the fighting.
Their spokesmen also did not answer or ignored text messages sent by journalists who were trying to get details of the deadly fighting.
It was unclear whether those killed and wounded in the clashes were on a test mission or not, but other reports said members of the US-trained Light Reaction Company and marines were involved in the fighting.
It was also unknown is US troops stationed in Sulu were assisting local military forces in combat operation against the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the spate of ransom kidnappings in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah.
The Abu Sayyaf is believed to be harboring Jemaah Islamiya militants in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
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