23 Filipino Soldiers Killed in Clashes
Last updated at 10:43 p.m. EDT
Philippine troops suffered one of their worst losses in an offensive against al Qaeda-linked militants on a southern island that left at least 23 soldiers and 20 guerrillas dead, officials said Thursday.
Troops continued to scour the battlefield following clashes Wednesday with Abu Sayyaf militants in two of their jungle camps on Basilan Islan, and the tally of slain militants could rise, said regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino.
"It was a slugfest," Dolorfino told The Associated Press by telephone. "It was really close-quarter fighting so we couldn't use our artillery," he said, adding troops were pursuing small pockets of fleeing gunmen.
Although weakened by yearslong U.S.-backed offensives, about 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Basilan and nearby Jolo Island and the Zamboanga peninsula have recently turned to ransom kidnappings to raise funds for terror attacks, officials said.
The militants held three international Red Cross workers kidnapped on Jolo for several months this year, as well as a dozen Filipino hostages. All have been released or rescued.
More than 400 marines, army and police commandos launched simultaneous, pre-dawn attacks Wednesday on two Abu Sayyaf encampments in hilly Silangkum and Baguindam villages, sparking fierce daylong fighting.
The clashes killed 20 marines and 3 army members, including two officers, in one of the biggest single-day military battle losses in recent years, Dolorfino said. Troops also found the bodies of 20 militants in Baguindan, Dolorfino said.
The offensive targeted about 60 militants in the two hilltop strongholds, led by Abu Sayyaf chieftains Khair Mundus and Furuji Indama, said Rear Adm. Alex Pama. It was not clear if they were among the dead.
Troops found several bombs, booby traps and 15 assault rifles and grenade launchers in the camps, Pama said, adding that the explosives had been safely detonated.
"The bombs were already primed to explode," he said. They may have been intended for another wave of terror attacks.
The Abu Sayyaf is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations because its bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages made it into the Philippines' most brutal rebel group.
It is suspected of having received funds and training from al Qaeda.
Security officials worry that ransom payments could revive the group in the two predominantly Muslim regions that are among the country's poorest.
AP Philippine troops suffered one of their worst losses in an offensive against al Qaeda-linked militants on a southern island that left at least 23 soldiers and 20 guerrillas dead, officials said Thursday.
Troops continued to scour the battlefield following clashes Wednesday with Abu Sayyaf militants in two of their jungle camps on Basilan Islan, and the tally of slain militants could rise, said regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino.
"It was a slugfest," Dolorfino told The Associated Press by telephone. "It was really close-quarter fighting so we couldn't use our artillery," he said, adding troops were pursuing small pockets of fleeing gunmen.
Although weakened by yearslong U.S.-backed offensives, about 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Basilan and nearby Jolo Island and the Zamboanga peninsula have recently turned to ransom kidnappings to raise funds for terror attacks, officials said.
The militants held three international Red Cross workers kidnapped on Jolo for several months this year, as well as a dozen Filipino hostages. All have been released or rescued.
More than 400 marines, army and police commandos launched simultaneous, pre-dawn attacks Wednesday on two Abu Sayyaf encampments in hilly Silangkum and Baguindam villages, sparking fierce daylong fighting.
The clashes killed 20 marines and 3 army members, including two officers, in one of the biggest single-day military battle losses in recent years, Dolorfino said. Troops also found the bodies of 20 militants in Baguindan, Dolorfino said.
The offensive targeted about 60 militants in the two hilltop strongholds, led by Abu Sayyaf chieftains Khair Mundus and Furuji Indama, said Rear Adm. Alex Pama. It was not clear if they were among the dead.
Troops found several bombs, booby traps and 15 assault rifles and grenade launchers in the camps, Pama said, adding that the explosives had been safely detonated.
"The bombs were already primed to explode," he said. They may have been intended for another wave of terror attacks.
The Abu Sayyaf is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations because its bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages made it into the Philippines' most brutal rebel group.
It is suspected of having received funds and training from al Qaeda.
Security officials worry that ransom payments could revive the group in the two predominantly Muslim regions that are among the country's poorest.
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4 Comments Add a Comment
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- Call it what it is - JIHAD, the Islamic war against the infidels, in this case The Philipines. This isn't about anything else, it's all the same war, world-wide. It's not about terrorism, terrorism is only ONE tactic. This is not about a few extremists either & linking it to Al-Qaeda is totally missing the point. This is about a fundamental & intrinsic doctrine of Islam, JIHAD.
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- Their have been many attempts to end this stuff without war,I hope the attempts go on,any chance should be worth the effort.
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- The closer the USA led coalition forces are to defeating and destroying the Taliban, the more we will see sparatic outbursts around the world. It is a sign of desparate times and the last months for the Taliban.
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- Hey, another conflict...let's go over there and...oh wait...they kicked us out a while back....oh well...maybe they can use some good old American military forces...do we have any left?....Say, you guys have any oil over there in the Philippines? If so, we'll be there soon.
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