Seven suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), including siblings of ASG sub-leader Mundi Sawadjaan, were killed in an encounter in Sulu.
Based on the report of Joint Task Force Sulu, government troops intercepted the alleged ASG members aboard a boat in Sulu Sea near Sulare Island. The gunfight took place for 20 minutes.
Among the casualties were Madsmar and Mannul Sawadjaan, siblings of the alleged mastermind of the twin bombings in Sulu.
Mannul Sawadjaan was reported to have assumed as the emir of ISIS in the country when Hajan Sawadjaan died.
The identities of the other five casualties are currently being validated. Retrieval operations are ongoing for the remains. – Report from Bea Bernardo
