Patikul, Sulu (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
ZAMBOANGA CITY—At least 14 people were killed—10 of them Abu Sayyaf bandits—during a heavy clash amid an intensified operation against the bandit group in Patikul, Sulu on Friday.
Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said four soldiers died while nine other soldiers were wounded in the encounter.
The Abu Sayyaf suffered an undetermined number of injuries, he added.
Tan said only three bodies of the 10 slain bandits had been recovered so far.
The clash ensued when troops under the 35th Infantry Battalion stumbled on a large group of 150 bandits under Radullan Sahiron in Sitio Dyundangan in Barangay Buhanginan, Tan said.
He said the firefight lasted for almost 45 minutes and only stopped when the Abu Sayyaf withdrew.
Tan said soldiers were in pursuit of the group while support units fired 105-millimeter Howitzers. —JULIE ALIPALA