[PhilStar] At least three Abu Sayyaf militants and a trooper were killed, and 15 soldiers injured in a gun battle between rebels and Philippine troops yesterday morning in Patikul town, Sulu.
The clash broke out when troops zeroed in on the location of the Abu Sayyaf after getting a tip from two kidnapped Filipino fishermen rescued on Friday.
Military spokesman Cirilito Sobejana said troops engaged heavily armed Abu Sayyaf gunmen under the command of Almujer Yaddah in a one-hour firefight at Sitio Darayan at the boundary of Barangays Danag and Buhanginan yesterday morning.
During the clearing operations, soldiers recovered the body of an unidentified Abu rebel. Sobejana said, "Our forces on the ground also spotted the bandits dragging away two bodies of their companions who appeared to be dead."
Sobejana said the two rescued kidnap victims pinpointed the locations of the Abu Sayyaf group that is keeping captive 21 other kidnap victims. He said, "The soldiers are careful in their movements since it is believed that the Abu Syayaf group is still carrying with them around six to seven kidnap victims."
Rocabo and Leones were on board a motorcycle when intercepted and recovered by government forces at Daang Puti, Patikul town. Sobejana said the victims revealed that they were kept under the custody of Abu Sayyaf members Ben Tatoo and Almujer Yadah, along with other kidnap victims.
Rocabo and Leones, crewmen of FB Ramona 2, were seized by the Abu Sayyaf along with captains Noel Besconde and Roy Borja Ramos last December 20 at the Celebes Sea. Besconde was beheaded on April 13 by the Abu Sayyaf group under Yadah at Barangay Tanum, Patikul.
Ramos, on the other hand, was rescued on June 8 in the vicinity of Barangay Lagtoh, Talipao town after he escaped from his captors in Patikul two days earlier.
Continued on Page 47
[GMA News] The number of Maute militants being pursued by security forces in Marawi City has gone down to 80. Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said, "The remaining local terrorist group is more or less around 80, and they have still occupied vantage positions as we move forward to the center of gravity."
Herrera said the remaining Maute militants are holed up in an area within the city's business district with at least 800 buildings. He said the military will continue the air strikes to flush out Maute snipers, who have been slowing down the military advance into the rebel positions. Herrera added that Abdullah Maute is still in command of the remaining Maute militants.
As of July 8, the military spokesman said a total of 366 Maute rebels have been killed by troops. The number of deaths on the government side was at 87, while 38 civilians have been confirmed killed by the terrorists. A total of 1,722 civilians trapped in Marawi City have been rescued.
The conflict is now on its seventh week. Malacañang had said the government might spend at least P20 billion for the rehabilitation of the war-torn city.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: ryuge ||
07/09/2017 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[PhilStar] At least three Abu Sayyaf militants and a trooper were killed, and 15 soldiers injured in a gun battle between rebels and Philippine troops yesterday morning in Patikul town, Sulu.
[GMA News] The number of Maute militants being pursued by security forces in Marawi City has gone down to 80. Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said, "The remaining local terrorist group is more or less around 80, and they have still occupied vantage positions as we move forward to the center of gravity."
