ZAMBOANGA CITY, 12 January 2006 — Two Abu Sayyaf militants were killed and two soldiers wounded in fierce clashes yesterday in the southern island of Basilan, officials said.
The fighting broke out Wednesday in Sumisip town after soldiers raided an Abu Sayyaf hideout in the village called Erely, and continued sporadically the next day.
Troops were pursuing the gunmen, said Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, the island’s military commander.
At least 2 members of the Abu Sayyaf group were killed, but there could be more enemy casualties, he said, quoting reports from villagers that said they saw retreating gunmen dragging many bodies.
“Two of my soldiers are slightly wounded, and two terrorists were also killed, and villagers reported they saw gunmen retreating with dead bodies,” Ferrer said.
He said villagers secretly informed the military about the presence of the hideout and gunmen in the area.
Ferrer said security forces were in pursuit of retreating gunmen.
He said new Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon ordered an intensified campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the spate of kidnappings and terrorism in the southern Philippines.
Washington listed the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and offered as much as $5 million bounty for its top leaders, including Janjalani, who fled the island after a massive military operation in 2002.
