Four militants were killed and two captured during clashes with police pursuing militants linked to Al Qaida on a southern island in the Philippines on Monday, the military said. Two militants were killed when the elite army Scout Rangers fought with around 40 Abu Sayyaf rebels in Talipao town on Jolo island, Brigadier General Reynaldo Mapagu said. He said the rebels were led by Albader Parad, who carries a bounty on his head.
Earlier on Monday, two gunmen were killed and two were arrested after they opened fire on Philippine Marines who were approaching the village of Andanan, said marine spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan. He said it wasn't immediately clear whether the gunmen belonged to the Abu Sayyaf group, the target of a month long US-backed offensive on Jolo, but added, "As of the moment, we treat them as members of an armed group." |