Philippine troops kill 15 Abu Sayyaf rebels<\/p>\n
Agence-France-Presse, Zamboanga<\/p>\n
Fifteen Abu Sayyaf guerrillas were killed on Sunday while 10
\nsoldiers were wounded in a fierce firefight in the southern
\nPhilippine island of Basilan, military officials said.<\/p>\n
Fighting erupted shortly before noon when police and military
\nforces were alerted by reports that Abu Sayyaf gunmen who
\nattacked Basilan's capital of Isabela on Thursday had holed up in
\nBalatanay village, about seven kilometers to the west and
\nbordering the town of Lantawan.<\/p>\n
Responding government forces were met with gunfire from the
\nrebels, triggering intense fighting.<\/p>\n
The rebels were quickly reinforced by their comrades, as the
\nfighting spread to the town of Lantawan.<\/p>\n
Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of a military task-force in
\nBasilan, described the fighting as "fierce" and that intercepted
\nradio communications from the rebels indicated they suffered
\nheavy casualties.<\/p>\n
Military southern command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu told
\nManila reporters in a telephone interview said two OV-10 bombers
\nand two MG-520 attack helicopters were dispatched to pound rebel
\npositions.<\/p>\n
He said 15 rebels were killed, while 10 soldiers were wounded.
\nSeveral rebel firearms were also recovered.<\/p>\n
"Those are the figures we have received from the field and are
\nsubject to verification," Cimatu said.<\/p>\n
He said the rebel unit was believed to under the command of
\nKhadaffy Janjalani, the elusive Abu Sayyaf chief holding two
\nAmerican and 16 Filipino hostages in Basilan's jungles.<\/p>\n
Police said the Abu Sayyaf members encountered in Balantay
\nwere the same rebels who attacked Isabela on Thursday night with
\nrounds of mortar fire. Three civilians were injured in the blasts
\nand a soldier was wounded in an ensuring gunfire.<\/p>\n
Officials said the Thursday attack was launched to divert
\nmilitary attention from another Abu Sayyaf unit holding the
\nhostages.<\/p>\n
About 5,000 soldiers have been dispatched in Basilan to rescue
\nthe captives and crush the rebels, a small group of Islamic
\nfighters believed to have links with Saudi dissident Osama bin
\nLaden.<\/p>\n
"There are no sightings of the hostages but we believe they
\nwere the rebel force because (they) could not leave the area. We
\ngot them cornered," Cimatu said.<\/p>\n
Military officials meanwhile said U.S. embassy staff were
\nscheduled to arrive later Sunday in southern Zamboanga city to
\nretrieve skeletal remains recovered by soldiers last week for
\nidentification.<\/p>\n
The remains are believed to belong to Guillermo Sobero, one of
\nthe three American hostages whom the Abu Sayyaf claimed to have
\nexecuted as an "independence day" gift to the Philippine
\ngovernment in June.<\/p>\n
The bones were recovered in a shallow grave in a Basilan
\nforest after a captured rebel who claimed to have taken part in
\nthe execution led troops to the area. The pile of bones were
\nwithout a skull, apparently confirming rebel claims that Sobero
\nhad been beheaded.<\/p>\n
Military officials said DNA testing on the bones was to be
\ncarried out to determine whether they belonged to Sobero.<\/p>\n
Officials earlier said relatives of Sobero were to accompany
\nthe embassy staff, but later corrected the report.<\/p>\n
National Security Adviser Roilo Golez in Manila cautioned
\nagainst coming to hasty conclusions, saying the remains were
\nstill "subject to verification."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/philippine-troops-kill-15-abu-sayyaf-rebels-1447893297",
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