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Philippine troops seize Abu Sayyaf camp in Sulu
[CNN] Philippine troops have captured a camp of the Abu Sayyaf after a firefight in Maimbung, Sulu. Military spokesman Filemon Tan said the soldiers fought an unknown number of militants under the leadership of Idang Susukan for about 45 minutes on May 24 before the rebels withdrew.Tan said the encampment could accommodate about 200 people and had a water source. The military suffered no casualties, while the number of dead and wounded on the insurgent side was still unknown. Tan said the military is doing its best to rescue the three hostages remaining as captives by the Abu Sayyaf. A fourth was killed by the terrorist group last month. Soldiers have been tracking down the rebels who are holding Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Filipina Marites Flor. The hostages were abducted on September 2015. The Abu Sayyaf killed Canadian John Ridsdel in April. Tan said, "The deadline set by the ASG is their deadline but for the WMC, we are doing our best to immediately rescue the KVs (kidnap victims) and neutralize the Abu Sayyaf." On May 23, the militants released a 'final video' showing the three hostages begging for help from president-elect Rodrigo Duterte. The captives said if negotiations fail, the Abu Sayyaf will kill them on June 13 at 3:00 in the afternoon. Posted by: ryuge 2016-05-26 |
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