(UPDATE) Five Marines, cop slain in clash with Vagni captors
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 06/13/2009 12:04 PM
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Five Marines and a police commando were killed in an encounter with the group of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Albader Parad in Indanan town, Sulu province, Saturday morning.
Separate police and military reports said members of the Philippine Marines and the police's Special Action Force were conducting follow-up operations in Barangay Sionogan when they were ambushed by at least 40 members of Parad's group around 9:20 a.m.
The Directorate for Integrated Police Operations for Western Mindanao identified the slain police commando as Senior Police Officer 1 Abdulla Sarahadil Tuttuh.
The military said five Marines were killed and 10 others were wounded during the ambush. A police auxillary force volunteer was also wounded.
The wounded troops of the government have been brought to a trauma hospital in Barangay Busbus, Jolo town, where they will be transported to a military hospital in Zamboanga City.
The firefight is ongoing as of this posting, police said.
The military said troops were able to fire back at the bandits. It believes several bandits were also killed and wounded during the clash.
Task Force Comet commander, Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, on Friday said three sons of Parad and another Abu Sayyaf leader, Umbra Jumdail alias Dr. Abu Pula, were among the eight bandits killed by Marines in fierce gunfights in Barangay Timahu, also Indanan town.
Sabban said Ting and Magdar Jumdail and Damz Parad were killed by Marines in Barangay Timahu on Thursday. Two more bandits were slain by Marines on Friday, the Marines commander added.
Sabban added that Parad and his brother Saddam Parad and 11 others have been wounded during the gunfights.
The military said Thursday that two members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-4 have also been killed in the clahses. Seven more soldiers have been wounded.
The group of Jumdail and Parad have been on the run since the release of Red Cross members Andreas Notter and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba in April.
The bandits are still holding Italian Eugenio Vagni captive. Vagni has been held captive by the bandits for 150 days.
The three Red Cross members were seized after visiting the Sulu provincial jail in Patikul town last January 15.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it remains in close contact with military and government officials involved in the rescue operations for the Italian.
Alain Aeschlimann, ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, said they are very concerned for Vagni's safety.
"As we do not know where Eugenio is, it goes without saying that every time we hear about fighting on the island we are very concerned for his safety," Aeschlimann said. With reports from Leila Vicente, ABS-CBN Zamboanga and Noel Alamar, radio dzMM
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