10 ASG slain, 18 troops wounded in Patikul clash
At least 10 Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits, including two close relatives of ASG leader Radullan Sahiron, were killed while scores were reported wounded in a clash with government troopers in Patikul, Sulu Friday.
Army Colonel Cirilito Sobejana, the commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu, said 18 soldiers were also wounded in the encounter. The injured troopers were taken to the Army Hospital for treatment.
Sobejana said JTF Sulu as conducting rescue operations in efforts to free 31 kidnap victims when it met about 120 fully armed ASG members under Sahiron at Brgy. Igasan, Patikul, Sulu, that resulted in a two-hour firefight. Repelled by government air assets and artillery power, the bandits withdrew to different directions bringing along their dead members, according to field reports.
Of the 31 hostages being held by the ASG, 12 are Vietnamese nationals, a Dutch national, seven Indonesians, six Filipinos, and five Malaysians.
“The said encounter resulted in the death of at least 10 ASG members including two close relatives of Radullan Sahiron and the wounding of several others,” Sobejana said. The Joint Task Force Sulu troopers are relentlessly pursuing the ASG bandits to end their reign of terror and free the hostages.
“This fight against terrorism will be successful as long as every sector of society will help and do their share of the work. We call on the people of Sulu to continually work with the government troops for peace and prosperity in the entire province,” said Major General Carlito G. Galvez Jr., the commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
“If we win this and defeat the Abu Sayyaf, this will definitely benefit every child, man, and woman of Mindanao,” he added.