Philippine troops attack al-Qaida-linked militants
US-backed troops bombard Muslim rebel strongholds with artillery shells on southern Basilan island.
By Agencies |
MANILA: US-backed troops on Sunday bombarded Muslim rebel strongholds with artillery shells on southern Basilan island, a day after 15 marines and 40 militants were killed in a fierce gunbattle, officials said.
The marines were killed when their unit attacked a jungle hide-out of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group near Basilan's remote town of Ungkaya Pukan, sparking a daylong clash during which an air force pilot also died when his helicopter crashed into the sea, the military said.
The military claimed about 40 Abu Sayyaf insurgents were killed, including two commanders who allegedly took part in last month's beheadings of 10 marines on Basilan.
Gen Eugenio Cedo said the marines apparently underestimated the rebels' firepower.
"They were not able to assess properly the strength of the enemy during the assault," Cedo told ABS-CBN television.
Yesterday's clash involved about 80 Abu Sayyaf gunmen, Cedo said, adding that hundreds of troops were pursuing those who survived. The bodies of slain rebels were scattered around the battle scene, he said.
Troops fired 105 mm howitzer shells early today at suspected Abu Sayyaf positions near Ungkaya Pukan and the nearby townships of Sumisip and Tipo Tipo but there was no immediate report of casualties, officials said.
Military spokesman Lt Col Bartolome Bacarro said US forces involved in counterterrorism training in the country's south were providing intelligence to help Philippine troops track down the Abu Sayyaf militants. The Americans have also provided combat training to local troops.
The marines were killed when their unit attacked a jungle hide-out of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group near Basilan's remote town of Ungkaya Pukan, sparking a daylong clash during which an air force pilot also died when his helicopter crashed into the sea, the military said.
The military claimed about 40 Abu Sayyaf insurgents were killed, including two commanders who allegedly took part in last month's beheadings of 10 marines on Basilan.
Gen Eugenio Cedo said the marines apparently underestimated the rebels' firepower.
"They were not able to assess properly the strength of the enemy during the assault," Cedo told ABS-CBN television.
Yesterday's clash involved about 80 Abu Sayyaf gunmen, Cedo said, adding that hundreds of troops were pursuing those who survived. The bodies of slain rebels were scattered around the battle scene, he said.
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Troops fired 105 mm howitzer shells early today at suspected Abu Sayyaf positions near Ungkaya Pukan and the nearby townships of Sumisip and Tipo Tipo but there was no immediate report of casualties, officials said.
Military spokesman Lt Col Bartolome Bacarro said US forces involved in counterterrorism training in the country's south were providing intelligence to help Philippine troops track down the Abu Sayyaf militants. The Americans have also provided combat training to local troops.
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