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Philippines seize Abu Sayyaf lair
U.S.-trained Philippine marine commandos raided a hideout of suspected Islamic militants on a remote southwestern island, seizing weapons and smuggled cigarettes, the military said on Wednesday."Our troops caught them by complete surprise," said Captain Rommel Abrau, a spokesman for the Marine Corps. "They offered token resistance before scampering away, leaving behind their heavy weapons and personal stuff." There were no casualties on either side during the brief firefight following the raid on Tuesday, he said. A speedboat, two machineguns, an assault rifle, a crate of ammunition and about 130 boxes of smuggled cigarettes were found in the raid on Kalingalang Kaluang island, Abrau said. Abrau said the discovery of boxes of untaxed cigarettes was an indication Abu Sayyaf rebels could have shifted to smuggling operations to fund their activities. "Kidnappings are down in the south, so they must be looking at other means to raise money," he said. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-09-14 |
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