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| Southeast Asia |
| Filippino soldier killed in Sulu by Abu Sayyaf |
| 2005-11-24 |
| A SOLDIER was killed in a clash with members of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila, officials said. Officials said the soldiers were tracking down the Abu Sayyaf when they ran into a group of militants, and a firefight ensued in the remote village of Kagay, in Indanan town. "One soldier was killed and a still undetermined number of gunmen are dead in the fighting," said Maj. Gamal Hayudini, the Southern Command information chief. He said the Abu Sayyaf gunmen were under Albader Parad and Umbra Jumdail Gumbahali, who are both included in Manila and Washington's terror lists. In Zamboanga City, Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, head of the Southern Command, said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf is relentless. "Our troops have intensified the hunt for Parad and Gumbahali and other known terror leaders, who are implicated in the series of bombings and kidnappings in the island," he said. On Monday, two soldiers were wounded in an Abu Sayyaf ambush in the village of Dayuan in Maimbung town, south of the island. Security forces were battling the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan and Panamao towns, but officials said Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels were aiding the militants. About 200 Abu Sayyaf gunmen have splintered into smaller groups and are now scattered in Jolo's mountain areas, where MNLF rebels are known to operate. Hostilities erupted after the Abu Sayyaf attacked a military post November 11 in Indanan and the fighting spread to many villages. The military said five soldiers and dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed in the fighting since last week. And that more than 2 dozen soldiers were wounded in the clashes. The fighting forced more than 2,500 people to flee their homes in Jolo for fear that they would be caught in the crossfire or held hostage by gunmen. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Get them Adan. Jolo is a dark island and needs the ASG removed. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-11-24 09:23 |