ASG member slain in Sulu encounter

ZAMBOANGA CITY – An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) gunman was killed during an intensified military pursuit operation conducted in Patikul, Sulu by troops of the Joint Task Force Sulu.

JTF-Sulu Commander Brig. Gen. Divino Rey C. Pabayo said that a 35minute encounter that began at 3:20 pm, Saturday resulted in the killing of the still unidentified ASG member.

Pabayo said the encounter took place in Sitio Sailih of Barangay Panglayahan in Patikul, Sulu when elements of the 32nd Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Ronaldo Mateo chanced upon the group of ASG leader Hajaan Sawadjaan and 40 of his men.

In the clearing operations after the firefight, soldiers recovered the body of the ASG member, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and some personal belongings of the bandits.

The military did not suffer any casualty during the encounter, the military said.

The military said “We are thankful for the information given by the local populace every time the bandits come to the area.

Armed Forces of the Philippines, Western Mindanao Command (AFPWestMinCom) Commander Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega said: “Our intensified security operation against the ASG is meant to finish off the bandits so that people in the area can live in peace.

“Aside from protecting the people, we also have to secure on-going government flagship projects there that are meant to deliver services to the communities,” Dela Vega said.

For this year alone, almost a hundred ASG members have re-joined their families after yielding to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in coordination with the local government units in various municipalities of Sulu and Basilan alone.