Egyptian, 2 Abu Sayyaf men killed in Sulu clash

Three Islamic militants, including an Egyptian would-be suicide bomber, were killed when elite government troopers clashed with their group in Patikul, Sulu, on Friday night, the military said.

Among those killed was only identified as a certain "Yusop," one of the five remaining foreign terrorists monitored in Sulu, Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief, said.

The two others were identified as Abu Khattab Jundullah alias "Saddam" and one "Akram," both members of an Abu Sayyaf sub-group that had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

All three were under Mudzrimar "Mundi" Sawadjaan, whose group was behind the twin suicide bombings in Jolo in August 2020 and the deadlier bombings at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, also in Jolo, in January 2019, Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, AFP Joint Task Force-Sulu commander, said.

Members of the Army's 4th Light Reaction Company (LRC) were conducting operations when they encountered Mundi's group in Barangay Igasan around 10:45 p.m.

The 4th LRC is part of the Light Reaction Regiment, which started as a company-sized unit trained by American soldiers in the 2000s and has since become the Army's premier counter-terrorist unit.

The firefight lasted for only 10 minutes before the surviving militants withdrew, Gonzales said.

Troops recovered the bodies of the three slain militants, as well as an M653 rifle, M203 grenade launcher, an R4 rifle with scope, nine magazines, 85 rounds of M16 ammunition, one round of M203 ammunition, two bandoliers and personal belongings at the clash site.