SEVEN members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) were wounded in a clash against the Abu Sayyaf bandits in the province of Sulu, the military reported Monday, April 27.
Lieutenant Colonel Esnani Mai, military liaison to the MNLF, said the firefight happened around 9 a.m. Friday, April 24 in Sitio Bunga, Kagay village in Indanan, Sulu.
Mai said the clash ensued when the MNLF forces headed by Commander Abraham Joel chanced upon a group of 50 Abu Sayyaf bandits while conducting security patrol in Kagay village.
Mai said Joel's group launched the security patrol in response to the reported presence of Abu Sayyaf bandits in an MNLF community in Sitio Bunga, Kagay.
Mai said the firefight lasted for about 40 minutes. Seven MNLF members were injured.
Colonel Ignatius Patrimonio, Army's 1102nd Infantry Brigade commander, said the MNLF forces clashed against the group of Abu Sayyaf leaders Taun Annoh and Apoh Mike, who were involved in the kidnapping of five Indonesian fishermen on the waters of Lahad Datu, Sabah, malaysia on January 17, 2020.
Patrimonio said that several Abu Sayyaf bandits were injured during the clash, based on the report from the community.
The wounded MNLF members were taken to the Camp General Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital in Jolo, Sulu.
One of the seven was airlifted to a hospital in Zamboanga City. (VoxPop Zamboanga)