[Gulf Today] An Abu Sayyaf leader and two of his comrades were killed in a clash with Philippine security forces on the island province of Basilan.Military spokesman Maria Rowena Muyuela identified the slain leader as Abdul Hassan Tanadjalun, a.k.a. "Bullet", who was wanted for kidnapping and extortion. Muyuela said Tanajalun was the leader of an Abu Sayyaf "urban terror group" operating in Lamitan City and Tuburan.
He said three soldiers were also injured in the pursuit that resulted in the encounter that killed the three militants in a remote village in the town of Tuburan, Basilan, at dawn on Sunday.
Muyuela said a team of soldiers was earlier assigned to arrest Tanadjalun and 15 others in a village in Lamitan City following reports of his presence there. He said, "As the troops were approaching the area, they were fired upon by the group and then fled," and added this did not stop the soldiers from pursuing them until they caught up with the suspects in the village.