ZAMBOANGA CITY – Abu Sayyaf militants on Saturday ambushed a group of pro-government militiamen in the restive province of Basilan in the Muslim autonomous region and killing one of them, officials said.
Officials said the attack occurred in the village called Limbo Candis in Sumisip town. The militias were travelling on a truck together with armed civilians when militants attacked them and sparking a brief firefight.
No other details were made available by the military and police on the attack, but this occurred just a day after security forces captured an Abu Sayyaf militant tagged in the brutal slaying of 15 coconut farmers in Basilan.
Superintendent Rogelio Alabata, a regional police spokesman, said Marajol Taulani, alias Joel Gonzaga, was tracked down in the town of Imelda in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
He said security forces also seized five packets of suspected meth from Taulani, who is facing a string of criminal charges in Basilan, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga.
Alabata said the militant is currently being interrogated, but details of the investigation were not made public because of the ongoing operation against the terrorist group tied to the Islamic State. (With a report from Ely Dumaboc)
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