AFP artillery offensive kills 2 ASG men

The military relentlessly shelled an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) encampment in a remote area in Patikul on Monday night in a continuing offensive to rescue the remaining captives of the group in Sulu, resulting in the death of at least two bandits and the wounding of another one.

Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said the shelling and the ensuing ground assault starting Monday night was part of the pursuit operations following the series of military assaults last week that left at least 25 bandits dead.

The same operation, it was recalled, also led to the escape and eventual rescue of two Coast Guard personnel who were abducted by the ASG in Dapitan City a few months ago.

"We conducted search and destroy operation in the area. We delivered artillery fires before our ground troops entered the enemy position," said Arrojado, referring to Barangays Tanum and Sandah in Patikul town.

"The target was the wounded ASG as confirmed by our intelligence reports which states that most of the wounded ASG from the previous gunfight were recuperating there," said Arrojado.

At the first delivery of artillery fire, Arrojado said the ASG rushed to attend to their wounded and tried to seek refuge on a mountain slope in sitio PantayMinul in Barangay Tanum to avoid being hit.

But the ground troopers from the 35th Infatry Battalion repeatedly fired 81mm mortars on the mountain slopes to complement the artillery fire.

During the clearing operations, it was confirmed that the shelling and mortar fires killed at least two ASG men identified as Emmar Jamhari and Nasser Muhammad.

A certain Ammel Madjid, also an ASG member, was wounded.

The group is reportedly under ASG subcommander Hatin Hakan Sawadjaan.

Seized in the ASG encampment were various personal belongings and a memory card which Arrojado described to be of great value for intelligence purposes.