Philippine Army Suffers Huge Combat Loss In Firefight With Abu Sayyaf
A Philippine army suffers huge combat loss in firefight with Abu Sayyaf that took place in Basilan on April 8 and resulted in the deaths of 18 troops serving in the Philippine Army.
This was a terrible loss for the Philippine Army in combat. At least fifty-two further members of the government army were hurt during the battle.
A day after the former missionary priest Rolando del Torchio, who had been kept hostage by the ASG for six months, was liberated, a battle took out in Barangay Baguindan in the municipality of Tipo Tipo in Basilan.
According to Major Filemon Tan, the spokesman for the Philippine Army's Western Mindanao Command, the engagement also resulted in the deaths of five Abu Sayyaf terrorists, one of them was a foreign terrorist from Morocco named Mohammad Khattad.
Son Of Top Leader Reportedly Killed In The Firefight
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According to reports, Ubaida Hapilon, who was the son of the top leader of the ASG, Isnilon Hapilon, was also slain in the fighting.
According to Maj. Tan, the fight started at about 7:55 in the morning and continued until 5:30 in the afternoon. It is estimated that there were 120 strongly armed militants to be fought, and the Army's 4th Special Forces Battalion and the 44th Infantry Battalion were both participating in the battle.
Bandila: Military assault against Abu Sayyaf continues
In a report dated April 9, 2016, Julie Alipala of the Inquirer claimed that a source who declined to be named because they lacked the ability to reveal sensitive information stated that during the conflict, a battalion and an officer were eliminated from the fight.
According to the informant, the ASG severed the heads of four of the dead soldiers before they were executed.
Both the Secretary of the Department of National Defense, Volatire Gazmin, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Hernando Delfin Carmelo Iriberri, are scheduled to fly to Basilan in order to meet with the ground commanders and see the wounded soldiers.
