ZAMBOANGA CITY – One of 5 Indonesian fishermen kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in off Sabah in January was killed in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, Malaysian authorities said Wednesday.
It
said the 32-year old Laa Baa was found dead in Patikul town, but his four
companions - Arsyad Dahlan, 41; Riswanto Hayano, 27; Edi Lawalopo, 53, and
Syarizal Kastamiran, 29 - are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf.
This
was confirmed by Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman, chief of the Eastern Sabah Security
Command, who said the information came from Philippine authorities.
“It is
true (the victim was killed). The incident occurred on September 28 during a
mission by the Philippine Army to rescue the five abducted victims. During the
mission, there was a shootout with the Abu Sayyaf group, and the victim’s body
was found yesterday,” he told Bernama.
Eight
gunmen hijacked the Indonesian trawler near Tambisan Island and seized five of
the 8 crew.
The
Philippine military confirmed the fighting between troops and the Abu Sayyaf in
Patikul that killed one gunman on September 28. There was also no report of
Indonesian hostage killed during the clash after soldiers from the 45th Infantry
Battalion attacked an Abu Sayyaf hideout in the remote village of Maligay and
engaged the terrorists in a battle that lasted nearly an hour.
Brig.
Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade, even described
the fighting as heavy with soldiers battling about 30 gunmen. He said the
terrorists split into several groups and escaped, leaving the body of the slain
militant.
He
said more troops were sent to the town to pursue the terrorists. “We
immediately deployed more troops to establish blockade and pursuit operations,”
he said.
Lt.
Col. Ruben Guinolbay, the battalion commander, said they have recovered the
body of the unidentified terrorist, but there could be more casualties on the
Abu Sayyaf side after his group discovered bloodstains in the hideout and
several escape routes used by the pro-ISIS group, blamed for the spate of
terror attacks in the province.
“The
enemies possibly incurred more casualties as evident in the bloodstains in the
encounter site,” he said.
Last
September, Abu Sayyaf gunmen also snatched 3 Indonesian fishermen
off Tambisan Island and brought them to Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the
Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines.
The
trio - Muhammad Farhan, 27, Samiun Maneu, 26, and Maharudin Lunani, 26, were allegedly
rescued separately by Filipino troops in December and January. (Mindanao
Examiner)
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