Fresh Fighting In The Philippines As Military Forces Look For Islamic Militants
Nidhi Sharma - All Headline News Staff Writer Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Fighting is continuing on the remote island of Jolo in the southern Philippines, where troops are searching for Islamic militants. A 5,000-strong military force has been deployed on the island since late July in a bid to eradicate rebels from the militant Abu Sayyaf group. The Philippines military is also seeking two suspects who are wanted for the 2002 Bali bombings and are apparently hiding there. In a series of fresh clashes on Wednesday, two Philippine soldiers were killed and three injured, an official said. The BBC quotes military command center head Colonel Allan Luga as saying that troops were flown to a mountainous area of the island where the rebels were hiding. The US based troops in Jolo helped evacuate the wounded. Col. Luga also revealed that the radio intercepts indicate that the militants had suffered casualties. The military's main targets are three key figures - Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and Bali bombing suspects Dulmatin and Umar Patek. Abu Sayyaf is the smallest and most volatile militant group in the Philippines and has been listed by the US as a terrorist organization with possible links to al-Qaeda. The two Indonesians are believed to belong to Jemaah Islamiah, a regional Islamic network which has also been linked to al-Qaeda. The military operation is likely to continue until the rebels are arreste |
