Scout Ranger, Abu bandit slain in Sulu clash

An Army Scout Ranger and a suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit were killed following a firefight in a remote village in Indanan town in Sulu province Monday evening, a military official said. About 10:30 p.m., troops under the Scout Ranger Class 163 engaged 30 militants in an hour-long firefight in Tagbak village, said Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the First Scout Ranger Regiment. In addition to the slain soldier, four other Rangers were wounded in the said clash, Mapagu said. "Our troops are still scouring the area and we believe there are many rebel casualties," he said. The rebels were believed to be under Commander Albader Parad, Mapagu said. Thousands of government troops are deployed in Sulu to go after the remaining leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and the Jema'ah Islamiyah (JI). Over the weekend, Armed Forces Western Command chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo vowed to neutralize the Islamic militants before the May 14 mid-term elections. On Monday, Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr said there have been fresh sightings in Sulu of Omar Patek, one of the alleged masterminds in the deadly October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia. - GMANews.TV