3 soldiers hurt in Basilan clash - military report

Three Army soldiers, including two officers, were hurt following a six-hour firefight with suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Basilan province early morning Tuesday, a military report said. About 6 a.m., operating troops of the 13th Special Forces Company and students of military scuba diver course engaged an undetermined number of MILF rebels under Hadji Laksaw Dan Asnawi alias Hadji Dan Asnawi and Abu Sayayaf bandits under Commander Nurhassan Jamiri at Sitio Baquisong in Barangay Cambug, Al Barka town. The identities of the wounded soldiers were not immediately available. Likewise, it could not be ascertained if the MILF rebels are part of the group that is holding peace negotiations with the government or is considered to be a faction of the mainstream organization. What the military report said was that Asnawi has a pending warrant of arrest and is an escapee from the Basilan Provincial Jail. Troops are still pursuing the rebels. — RSJ, GMA News