4 soldiers die in Basilan clash

ZAMBOANGA CITY—At least four members of the 18th Infantry Battalion were killed and four others were wounded during a four-hour clash against Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan on Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, confirmed the number of government death toll during the clash in Barangay Upper Cabengbeng in Sumisip, Basilan.

“I am deeply saddened by the event and the death of our soldiers,” he said. /jpv