Abu Sayyaf Step up Fighting, Ambush Philippine Troops, Killing Nine
Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants ambushed a truckload of troops going to market Thursday, killing nine and wounding two others on the volatile southern island of Jolo, the Philippine military said.
The Abu Sayyaf insurgents seized about six M-16 rifles and a two-way radio from the soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Battalion before fleeing near Maimbung township, said Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command.