Fighting erupt in Sulu, 3 Sayyaf killed, 5 soldiers wounded (WARNING: Contains graphic image)

SULU - At least 3 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed and 5 soldiers wounded in fierce fighting that broke out in Patikul town in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said Sunday.

Military photos released to the Zamboanga Post newspaper show a picture of one of 3 Abu Sayyaf militants Pinion Abdurasa killed by soldiers in fierce fighting Saturday, May 16, 2020 in Sulu's Patikul town.  

Officials said the clashes lasted about an hour after troops assaulted an Abu Sayyaf encampment and killed 3 pro-ISIS fighters, one of them was believed to be Pinion Abdurasa, on Saturday. 

Soldiers from the 21^st Infantry Battalion also recovered an automatic rifle in the village called Danag, a known lair of the Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance with the Islamic State.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, about 80 nautical miles from Sulu, said soldiers clashed with about 20 heavily armed militants and that the operation against the terrorist group is continuing Sunday in the town’s hinterlands.

“As our troops penetrate the strongholds and close in on enemies, they will continuously employ reasonable amount of combat power to pressure and debilitate the terror group in Sulu. We will sustain our security operations against the terrorists until we win the peace in Sulu and other parts of the western Mindanao region,” he said, describing the clashes as “ferocious.”

In Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, the commander of joint anti-terror task force, Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, said soldiers tracking down the militants found blood stains on a route the Abu Sayyaf used to escape the military assault. 

“There were strong indications that there could be more enemy casualties. We found blood stains on a trail used by the terrorists in fleeing the fighting,” he said.

The Abu Sayyaf is fighting for the establishment of a caliphate in the restive South where security forces are also battling communist insurgents and other pro-ISIS groups. (Zamboanga Post)

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