4 soldiers, 10 Abus killed in Sulu clash

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – At least 10 Abu Sayyaf members and four Marines were killed during an encounter in Sulu Sunday morning, authorities here said yesterday. 

Major Gen. Rey Ardo, Western Mindanao Command chief, said the slain Abu Sayyaf members were members of a group led by Radullan Sahiron and gunmen loyal to Tahir Sali, a commander of the Moro National Liberation Front.

At least 21 Marines were also wounded in the daylong clash that involved up to 200 Abu Sayyaf fighters and their allies, officials said. 

The fighting erupted in the mountainous hinterlands of Patikul. 

Ardo ordered Air Force planes and Navy ships to back up government forces, ensure the recovery of the slain Marines and transport the wounded to a hospital.

Regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said the Marines had been deployed in Patikul to check the reported sighting of two Europeans, a Japanese, a Jordanian and two Filipinos, all believed to be kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf. 

Gunmen seized the Europeans –Ewold Horn of the Netherlands and Lorenzo Vinciguerra of Switzerland – in February while bird watching in Tawi-Tawi.

The militants are also believed to be holding a Japanese treasure hunter, along with a Jordanian TV journalist and two Filipino crewmen who reportedly traveled to Abu Sayyaf camps in Sulu to interview the militants in June but have failed to return.

“What happened last Sunday was the initiative of our government forces,” Ardo said. 

Philippine Navy Chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama, who flew here yesterday morning, visited the wounded Marines at a military hospital and awarded them with merit medals. 

A military official said among the slain Abu Sayyaf members was the grandson of Sahiron.

“There was a mass burial late Sunday of the slain militant members and the village leaders helped us identify those killed,” Col. Orlando de Leon, 2nd Marine Brigade chief, said. – With AP