Ama Maas, ASG leader slain in Patikul clash

In what is known as the Samal kidnapping, six of the the Abu Sayyaf bandits (ASG) were killed in an encounter by the military personnel in what is termed as a fierce encounter took place at Patikul early on the morning of the 25th August 2016.
Six alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf which included the leader of this group were killed by the troops in the Sulu region; the news of this incident was confirmed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) when the official spokesman, Major Filemon Tan of the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) provided this information.

It was reported that the occurred at Sitio Makaita, Barangay Bunkongin Patikul around 6:00 AM in which there was a fierce encounter which killed the group of bandits including its leader.

According to Major Tan, the number of the soldiers who were wounded was put at 17; it was also indicated that the firefight continued for a little longer than one hour between more than 100 ASG bandits and operations troops of the Sulu task force.
None of the soldiers were serious and most of the 17 soldiers received minor injuries.
Commending the work of the soldiers in this fierce encounter, Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo dela Cruz applauded the troops for their high sense of motivation in fighting the bandits while giving importance to their country’s fight against the terrorists who have been acting as a thorn in the government’s flesh without making any attempts to arrive at a negotiated settlement of their demands.

He reminded the troops of the orders of the President of the Philippines that they should find and destroy the Abu Sayyaf Group members and kill them; they need to be destroyed, he said.

Without thinking of the consequences or anything else, we are just single-minded in achieving our mission of seeking out and destroying the bandits Lt Gen dela Cruz said.

Next day

What was reported yesterday as a skirmish last for about an hour killing six bandits and wounding 17 soldiers was actually inaccurate; the fire-fight is stated to have continued till sunset and did involve casualties from the troops.
It was confirmed by Major Tan, the official spokesman of the Mindanao Command that 15 soldiers had perished in the fighting. The 35th infantry battalion suffered most of the casualties.
The reaction
The government ordered another 2500 troops to join the fight against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG); meanwhile, the President Rodrigo Duterte refused point blank to declare a state of emergency.
He said that the ASG had lost his trust and would be exterminated.
Umrao singh umraoz.wordpress.com

Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Written for: Lars-Magnus Carlsson www.thephilippinepride.com

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