[Turkish Weekly] Around 10 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed and several others injured in the latest fierce clashes in the southern Philippines. On Friday, a military officer who asked not to be identified, said that attack helicopters had pounded Bohe Buug settlement in Tipo Tipo on Basilan island on Thursday, with rockets hitting Abu Sayyaf dugouts killing ten rebels and destroying a machine gun.These ten are reported to be in addition to the deaths of 15 other Abu Sayyaf militants announced in a statement early Thursday. Previous reports have said that 22 rebels were killed in Sulu province and 18 in Basilan, although the military has been reluctant to release an overall death toll.
The airstrike comes as a military offensive continues into its second week, focusing on three Abu Sayyaf groups of Furuji Indama, Isnilon Hapilon and a sub leader named Ubaib. Thursday's airstrike targeted Ubaib and 37 fully-armed followers. After fleeing the area, Ubaib's group later merged with the groups of Hapilon and Indama elsewhere in the jungle covered terrain of Basilan.
The military spokesman claimed that both Indama and Hapilon's groups were being assisted by relatives of Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, as well as some civilians eager to join the battle.
Tipo-Tipo is also the site of an MILF encampment. The MILF is currently involved in a peace process with the Philippine government, although a final agreement is yet to be put in place.