Summary Philippine authorities said 23 people were killed in encounter between soldiers and militants.
MANILA (Agencies) - Philippine authorities said 23 people were killed and 70 injured in the deadliest encounter between soldiers and militants in the nation’s south this year.
Eighteen soldiers died in the 10-hour clash in Basilan province on Saturday, while five of the fatalities were members of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, including Moroccan national Mohammad Khattab, military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said in a mobile-phone message.
The latest fighting in Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island and home to many of its 5 million Muslims, comes as the Southeast Asian nation prepares to choose its next leader in May 9 general elections. President Benigno Aquino hasn’t managed to get his signature peace deal with the separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front through Congress in his term after a botched security forces raid in January last year left 44 elite commandos dead and sapped support for the accord.
“These clashes are largely a reflection of the dangerous power vacuum emanating from the deadlock in peace negotiations and how ISIS sympathizers are intent on establishing a strong foothold in the country,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, an assistant professor of political science at De La Salle University. “The timing of these encounters is certainly unhelpful as the country nears election period.”
Wanted List
The son of Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon was among the militants killed, the military said. Isnilon Hapilon is on the U.S. Department of State’s most wanted list, with a cash reward of as much as $5 million offered for information that leads to his arrest.
Members of the Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion and 4th Special Forces Battalion encountered about 120 militants in Tipo Tipo town in Basilan province on Saturday morning and engaged in the firefight, Tan said.
“We need to give this an urgent response because we don’t know the extent of how this will affect us as a country. I have yet to hear from our presidential candidates about their national security policies,” former military chief and Congressman Rodolfo Biazon said. “This current administration cannot just leave it be, they have to do something immediately.”
