Philippine government troops shot and wounded Abu Sayyaf spokesman Jainal Salih in an encounter in Maguindanao, the military claimed Thursday.
| Gosh, I hope it was painful... |
 Ben Dolorfino, 2nd Marine Brigade commander and Task Force Ranao chief, said Salih was hurt during gunbattles between government soldiers and Abu members in the boundaries of Upi, Talayan and Datu Odin Sinsuat municipalities.
| Hmmm... Usually the spokesmen are clean, not taking part in gun battles and such... |
The military intensified attacks against the Abu Sayyaf early this month in an effort to capture Abu chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani. Dolorfino said Janjalani is believed to be hiding in the hinterlands bounded by the three municipalities. He said three suspected Abu members were killed while three government soldiers were wounded since fighting started in July 3. Salih, whose alias is Solaiman, is one of the top five most wanted members of the Abu Sayyaf. He replaced Abu Sabaya as the rebel group's spokesman after Sabaya was killed by Navy commandos during a sea encounter off the coast of Zamboanga-Sibugay provincein 2002. |