ZAMBOANGA CITY – Government troops clashed Saturday with suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels in the restive province of Basilan and leaving more than 2 dozen of casualties of the military side, reports said.
It said the fighting erupted in Al-Barka town and spread to other areas. Unconfirmed reports said at least 4 soldiers had been beheaded and that many others perished, including a young officer, in fierce clashes, but the military have not released any statement about the battle.
Two ageing OV-10 bombers were also seen taking off from an air force base in Zamboanga and headed to Basilan, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The province is also a known lair of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front which signed an interim peace deal with Manila in 2014. It was not immediately known whether the MILF was involved in the fighting.
Al-Barka was also the scene of previous clashes between troops and Abu Sayyaf rebels where two Malaysian militants had been killed by the army. (Ely Dumaboc)
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