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Southeast Asia
12 Abus dead after fierce firefights in Jolo
2019-04-14
[BenarNews] At least 12 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a series of clashes with Philippine security forces on the southern island of Jolo.

The violence comes after a Malaysian hostage died from his injuries Tuesday, days after being rescued. An Indonesian perished during the rescue attempt and another Indonesian man was successfully freed. Among those slain was Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Julie Ikit, the cousin and top lieutenant of Abu Sayyaf senior leader Radullan Sahiron, officials said.

Acting on intelligence provided by local residents, soldiers engaged in a series of clashes near the town of Patikul on Jolo Thursday with an enemy force numbering over a hundred fighters. The running gun battle lasted for about an hour, and reports from ground troops indicated that the enemy factions were led by Sahiron and Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the overall leader of the Abu Sayyaf faction in Jolo who is believed to have taken over as the new head of the Islamic State in the Philippines.

The battle forced the enemy to withdraw “leaving behind one dead terrorist, later identified as Abu Sayyaf sub leader Julie Ikit,” military spokesman Gerald Monfort said.

Also recovered from the site were a pair of night-vision goggles, some 40 makeshift tents and food and watersupplies – signs that the militants were highly mobile.

“After the first encounter, the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion was deployed to block the terrorists’ withdrawal,” Monfort said, adding that the soldiers cut off the escaping enemy at a remote area, forcing the gunmen to split into smaller groups going into different directions. “The body of another unidentified Abu Sayyaf member was discovered during a quick search of the area.”

The troops then chased one group of the gunmen while the blocking force encountered another splinter group that was escaping.

Intelligence reports from the ground based on radio intercepts said that seven other enemy fighters were killed and up to 19 injured in the initial battles. Three more were added to the enemy death toll by Friday evening.
Posted by:ryuge

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