ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 1, 2012) – An Abu Sayyaf sub-leader was killed on Sunday following a fire fight between with another bandit group in Basilan province in the southern Philippines, military officials said.
Army commander Col. Ricardo Visaya said the bandits headed by Ibnie Mallapin, whose father is a member of the Moro National Liberation Front, attacked and killed Long Malat Sulayman in the town of Al Barka.
“Long Malat Sulayman died due to loss of blood after he was critically wounded in the attack staged by the group of Mallapin. We still don’t know how many more were killed or injured from both sides,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The motive of the attack is still unknown, but Visaya said both armed groups are actively operating in the town. “We don’t know the motive of the attack, but it could be connected to the control of the area where both groups operate,” Visaya said.
He said the killing of Sulayman could trigger a clan war between the two groups. The Abu Sayyaf is one of the most notorious militant groups blamed for the spate of terrorism and kidnappings in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
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