Soldier killed, 3 others wounded in clash with Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines — A soldier was killed while three others were wounded when government forces clashed with Abu Sayyaf members in Sulu on Thursday, the military said.

Soldiers from the 6th Special Forces Battalion had an encounter with more or less 30 Abu Sayyaf terrorists at Brgy. Igasan in Patikul town past 11 a.m., the Western Mindanao Command said.

The wounded soldiers were brought to a military hospital in Jolo for treatment.

Government troops launched its offensives late last month following the deadly twin blasts in a Jolo cathedral that killed 23 people and wounded about a hundred.

“Our tactical and intelligence operations targeting the neutralization of the militants and the penetration of the enemy’s strategic strongholds will be bolstered,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega, commander of the Western Mindanao Command. /kga