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The military on Monday claimed to have killed around 40 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in skirmishes in the southern Philippines since last week as part of the military's efforts to end the terrorist group.
Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said 25 other Abu Sayyaf men were also wounded based on intelligence information gathered by government troops.
"Focused military operations are intensified, in coordination with the police and the local governments of the provinces of Basilan and Sulu Province, to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group," said Tan.
The fighting in Basilan, particularly in the towns of Unkayan Pukan and Albarka, broke out last Wednesday, the military said.
In Sulu, the fighting erupted last Thursday in Patikul town. Artillery rounds were delivered to known positions of the Abu Sayyaf in the process.
The military initially reported the killing of nine Abu Sayyaf men and wounding of 13 others in the Sulu skirmishes.
Tan said the military casualties remained at one soldier killed and six others wounded, all from the Sulu firefight.
Tan said the number of Abu Sayyaf casualties increased Sunday to 40 dead and 25 wounded based on reports gathered -- 18 dead and nine wounded in the Basilan fighting; and 22 killed and 16 wounded in the Sulu fighting.
In Basilan, Tan said "heavy firefight still ongoing involving armored vehicles, artillery fires and close-air support against the ASG" as of around 4:30 p.m on Monday.
In his assumption speech last July 1, AFP chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya vowed a 24/7 or non-stop operations against the Abu Sayyaf, in keeping with the thrust of President Duterte to end the ASG.
Visaya said the the military will be unrelenting in the operations against the Abu Sayyaf and its allies. Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ano has said the goal is to end the Abu Sayyaf within the term of Visaya who is retiring on Dec. 8.
The Abu Sayyaf is keeping a dozen of foreign and Filipino hostages in Sulu, including seven Indonesian tugboat crew members abducted off the Sulu Sea last June 22. The group is also known for its beheading and bombing activities.
Authorities are still in the process of validating if the Abu Sayyaf was also responsible for kidnapping three more Indonesian tugboat crew members in the Malaysian waters last Saturday.
(APD)
