ZAMBOANGA CITY – Nine Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members were killed and several others believed to have been wounded during a military assault in the hinterlands of Basilan province, a top military official said Friday.
Brig. Gen. Juvymax Uy, Joint Task Force Basilan commander, said the group of ASG leader Furuji Indama was the target of the air and ground assault launched last Wednesday in Barangay Mahatalang, Sumisip municipality.
Uy said Indama’s group and another sub-leader named Radzmi have a combined force of around 40 followers. He said the troops from the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion were able to close in the group of Indama after 2 a.m. Wednesday and a 30-minute firefight ensued.
The Air Force’s 3rd Tactical Operations Wing provided air support to the scout rangers sending the bandits scampering to different directions, the military official said.
Uy said the troops recovered the remains of one of the nine slain ASG members. Based on the information provided by civilians in the area, eight other ASG members who sustained fatal wounds died later.
Two high powered firearms, an M-203 grenade launcher, medical supplies and other war materiel were recovered from the clash site.
Indama and Radzmi are among the remaining ASG leaders in Basilan province.
Another leader, Nurhassan Jamiri, and 13 of his followers surrendered to government authorities on March 28. (PNA)
