Saturday, August 30, 2008

4 Soldiers Killed, 10 Wounded In Rebel Attack In Sulu Province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 30, 2008) – Four government soldiers were killed and ten more wounded in a clash Saturday with suspected rebels in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said.

“Four of our soldiers are dead in the fighting. Ten more are wounded and operation is going in the area,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told reporters.

He said gunmen attacked a military patrol at around 7 a.m. in Bonbon village in Patikul town, sparking a running gun battle that lasted for ten minutes. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the town is a known lair of the militant group Abu Sayyaf, blamed for previous attacks on soldiers and civilians.

Batara said the gunmen used small weapons and mortars in attacking the soldiers.

“We suspect the Abu Sayyaf was involved in the attack,” Batara said, adding, an undetermined number of gunmen were believed killed or wounded in the clash.

The attack came two days after soldiers and provincial government officials inaugurated various development and infrastructure projects in Patikul town.

Four artesian wells have been handed over to local officials in the villages of Timpook, Taung, Tanum, and Liang and a new school building in the village of Bonbon and two road projects in Liang and Bud Datu, all in Patikul. (Mindanao Examiner)

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