5 soldiers hurt in clash with Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Five soldiers were injured when government troops clashed with Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu on Friday.
It was the second clash that took place in the said province this week, as the military intensified its operation against the bandit group.
Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the five soldiers were part of a larger group of government troops conducting combat operation in Patikul town.
She said while the soldiers, under Joint Task Force Sulu, were combing Sitio Kan Islam in Barangay Buhanginan in Patikul around 11:50 a.m., they engaged the Abu Sayyaf faction headed by Hairulah Asbang and Amlon Abtahi.
Muyuela said the five soldiers were slightly injured in the firefight and had been evacuated for treatment.
On Thursday, a clash also took place in Patikul, during which an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader was killed.
Muyuela only identified the slain bandit as a Murasil, allegedly a close aide of Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan.