ZAMBOANGA CITY – Special Forces soldiers captured an Abu Sayyaf militant following a raid on a village in Lamitan City in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said on Monday.
Army Captain Jo-ann Petinglay said Ismael Gampal was captured in the village of Bohe Yawas where members of the 19th Special Forces also seized an automatic rifle and ammunition, including a military uniform and back pack.
Petinglay did not give more details of the weekend operations that led to the arrest of Gampal, but she said the militant is currently being interrogated in Basilan, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The province, just 28 nautical miles south of Zamboanga City, is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed by authorities for the spate of deadly bombings, kidnappings and terrorism in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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