Philippine army kills 20 militants during clashes in south
Philippine soldiers have killed at least 20 militants in clashes with members of an al-Qaeda-linked militant group in the south of the country.
The Philippine military said on Wednesday that the militants were killed in separate clashes on two islands in the country’s troubled south.
Brigadier General Alan Arrojado, the commander of the military task force, confirmed that 15 militants were killed as the government forces used artillery fire to confront about a hundred members of the Abu Sayyaf group in Indanan town on the southern island of Jolo, Sulu Province.
The clashes were triggered after the army launched a large-scale security operation to rescue hostages held by the militant group in the region. Arrojado said the government forces suffered no casualties during the encounter.
Earlier, a Philippine military report said two days of similar clashes have killed at least five militants and one soldier on the nearby island of Basilan.
Abu Sayyaf, a loose band of several hundred armed men, was founded in the 1990s with funding from al-Qaeda.
According to the Philippine military, the group is currently holding at least seven hostages. The militant group targets foreigners and often resorts to kidnappings for ransom.
Many foreign governments warn their citizens against traveling to the southern areas of the Philippines, which are regarded as strongholds for the group.
The militant group has been blamed for the worst acts of violence in the recent history of the Philippines, including the 2004 bombing of a ferry that left more than 100 people dead, the abduction of foreign missionaries and tourists, and the beheading of local people.
The group seeks to establish an independent homeland in the troubled south of the Philippines.
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