1 dead, 4 injured in Abu Sayyaf encounter in Basilan — military

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 14) — An armed militia man was killed while four civilians were wounded in an encounter Sunday in Basilan with unidentified men believed to be Abu Sayyaf group members, the military said.

The Western Mindanao Command reported that at around 8 a.m., a barangay peacekeeping action team outpost at Sitio Bohe Pahut, Barangay Central Sumisip was harassed by reported Abu Sayyaf members under sub-group leader Pasil Bayali.

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Source: cnnphilippines.com

PCG deploys Boracay class patrol vessel in Zamboanga

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has assigned one of its Boracay-class patrol vessel to the the Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao (CGDSWM) to boost the anti-smuggling campaign in this part of the country.

The vessel, BRP-Malamawi, will be jointly operated by the PCG and the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to address the problems on smuggling, as well as piracy, drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (ZamBaSulTa) areas.

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Source: ptvnews.ph

Troops kill 3 militants in clashes in southern Philippine islands

MANILA, March 20 (Xinhua) — Philippine troops have killed three militants, including an alleged Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, in two separate clashes in the jungles of Jolo island in southern Philippine provinces of Sulu and Basilan, the military said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the military said Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Angah Ajid and another militant, Sarih Edris, were killed during a firefight that broke out on Tuesday in a remote village of Talipao town.

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Source: xinhuanet.com

2 Abu Sayyaf bandits killed, another captured

By BONG GARCIA

TWO Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed while another was captured in separate clashes in the provinces of Sulu and Basilan.

Colonel Gerry Besana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, said no casualty was reported on the government side in both clashes. The Abu Sayyaf bandits are on the run.

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Source: sunstar.com.ph

Soldiers seized boat loaded with chemical used as IED ingredient

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Patrolling soldiers have intercepted a motorboat attempting to smuggle over three dozen bags of ammonium nitrate in Basilan province, a stronghold of pro-ISIS Abu Sayyaf group in southern Philippines, the military said Friday.

It said four people were taken into custody by the soldiers and being interrogated by the military. The chemical, which is banned in the Philippines, is usually used by rebels as a key ingredient in the manufacture of homemade bombs. It did not say how many kilos were seized from the four men, but each bag of ammonium nitrate typically is 25 kilos.

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Source: mindanaoexaminer.com