Colonel Ramon Yogyog, commander Special Operation Task Force Basilan, said a civilian was slightly wounded when caught in crossfire during the two-hour clash.
Yogyog said soldiers, including militia forces detailed at the Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (Tarbidci), were immediately dispatched following reports that armed men, believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits, were sighted in the area.
Last week, six Tarbidci rubber tappers were killed and 27 others were wounded when ambushed by armed men in Tumahubong town.
Taha Katoh, manager of Tarbidci, said the Abu Sayyaf Group had been harassing their workers due to their refusal to give in to an extortion demand of monthly fees worth P400,000. Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao