SULU, Philippines, 1 May 2008 — Government forces clashed with militants in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, leaving one soldier wounded and a still undetermined number of gunmen dead and wounded, officials said.
Military choppers fired several rounds of rockets at strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf in the town of Indanan, aimed at weakening the militant group, but renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front aided the gunmen.
The human rights organization Suara Bangsamoro said troops also fired artillery rounds around a major MNLF base in the village of Cagay, an area controlled by Khaid Ajibun, a senior leader of the former rebel group which signed a peace deal with Manila in 199.
It said dozens of civilians have fled the village because of the bombings.
“At least 28 rounds were fired at the area and after the bombardments ground troops mounted an attack, sparking a firefight,” said Amirah Lidasan, the group’s leader said.
She said seven soldiers were either killed or wounded in the fighting, but the military said only one marine was injured in the clash.
The military said the fighting only involved the Abu Sayyaf and that the operation was aimed to arrest the leaders of the group, which is blamed for past bombings and kidnappings for money in the south.
“Troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf group. The operation began at dawn Wednesday and targeted the lairs of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya. We have reports the area is being used to manufacture IEDs (improvised explosive device),” Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told reporters.
He tagged Abu Pula, alias Doctor Abu, as the leader of the group that soldiers clashed in Indanan town.
“The intelligence-driven operation is aimed to apprehend, neutralize, and bring to justice the remaining leaders and members of the Abu Sayyaf, as well as the Jemaah Islamiya bombers, who forged alliances with the former in the name of terrorism and violence,” Batara said without identifying the Jemaah Islamiya bombers.
In Sulu, local military chief Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, said the offensive did not target the MNLF.
“The operation is not against the Moro National Liberation Front. We are primarily after the ASG and the JI,” he said.
“The ultimate reason for this operation is for the people to live in safety without the fear that they could be held captive at any time in any place,” Sabban said.
Sabban previously said the Abu Sayyaf is fragmented and is on the run because of sustained military operations in Sulu province.
