Off the wire
• 27 Russian athletes test positive for meldonium  • Shanghai raises purchase thresholds to cool home prices  • Vice Premier urges efforts to upgrade rural power grids  • Thai army conducts ground combat exercise  • One French national confirmed killed in Brussels attacks: foreign ministry  • Greece marks Independence Day with calls for solidarity with refugees  • Urgent: Syrian army recaptures Palmyra's ancient citadel from IS  • Interview: How can EU be safer after Brussels attacks? Better intelligence, social integration, says expert  • China securities watchdog denies blacklist of to-be-delisted firms  • Benin's constitutional court confirms Talon president-elect  
You are here: 　 Home

Two Abu Sayyaf members killed in S Philippine clash with military

Xinhua, March 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

A sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group and another member were killed in a firefight with government troops in south Philippine province of Basilan Friday morning, said local authorities.

Five soldiers and six terrorists were wounded in the firefight.

Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, named the fatalities as sub-leader Eric Ajibon and a certain Ayan.

"Ajibon is known to be an expert in IED (improvised explosive device) making and responsible for the series of bombings against the government forces and business establishments in Basilan," said Tan.

Prior to the fighting, Tan said the residents of Sitio Luglugi in barangay Macalang of Al-Barka town called the military "for help to drive away the armed bandits" from their community.

Forces from the elite 4th Special Forces Battalion, numbering around 40 men, were promptly sent to the area and engaged the terrorists at around 7:55 a.m. local time.

"Heavy exchange of fires lasted for 30 minutes and sporadic firefight dragged on for three hours, "said Tan.

Tan said additional troops were due to be sent to the area on Friday night to pursue the fleeing terrorists. Enditem