Boy, 8, slain in Basilan assault

ZAMBOANGA CITY – An eight-year-old boy was reportedly killed in a series of military strikes launched against the Abu Sayyaf and foreign militants in Basilan on Sunday.

The Basilan police said the boy, a resident of Barangay Beggang in Al-Barka town, was in front of their house when he was hit by an explosion believed to have come from a cannon fired by the military.

Col. Cirilio Donato, chief of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, said they would investigate the incident to confirm whether the cannon came from the troops or the militants.

Al-Barka Mayor Ladjid Darus said the military continued the bombardment at the border of Mohammad Ajul and his town where the Abu Sayyaf group and three foreign militants have been holed out.