[Gulf Today] At least five Abu Sayyaf militants were slain in an aborted attempt to kidnap a businesswoman on the island province of Sulu.Senior Inspector Annidul Sali said the five militants were killed in separate encounters during the rescue of businesswoman Guankin Lim Maujan in Siasi, Sulu, on Tuesday. He credited close cooperation between the police, military and village militiamen resulted in the rescue of Maujan who was injured during the operation.
One of the suspects was killed when Maujan's bodyguards tried to stop the abduction from her home in Siasi on Tuesday. Another suspect was killed the next day in the pursuit operations launched by security forces. On Thursday, three more Abu Sayyaf militants were killed by militiamen when they tried to flee with Maujan aboard a pump boat in Parang.
| An Nahar adds this bit of background information: |