ZAMBOANGA CITY –– Three police officers and a civilian security volunteer were hurt in an attack by the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu Wednesday night.
The attack happened following the surrender of one bandit to authorities.
Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Monfort, spokesperson of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said the bandits attacked police personnel who were on patrol in Barangay Buhanginan aboard a vehicle around 6:50 p.m.
Monfort added that a brief gunfight, lasting about five minutes, ensued.
Members of the 6th Special Forces Battalion, who reinforced the engaged policemen, immediately rushed the four to Camp General Bautista Hospital in Sulu’s capital Jolo.
Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, said the attack could be a retaliation for the series of setbacks suffered by the bandits in the continuing crackdown on their ranks.
Vinluan claimed that the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu has gained active participation from civilians.