An Abu Sayyaf terrorist was killed while two others were wounded following an encounter with security forces in Talipao, Sulu Friday afternoon, the military said.
Task Force Sulu Public Affairs chief Lt. Jerrica Angela Manongdo said the troops from the 5th Scout Ranger Battalion were on patrol at Sitio Bud Daho when they spotted the 20 heavily-armed bandits belonging to the group of ASG sub-leader Mundi Sawadjaan and Ellam Nasirin.
Sawadjaan and Nasirin were listed in the military order of battle as the brains of previous bombings across the country’s southern region.
The military was also able to secure the bandit’s temporary camp in the area.
Last week, government troops killed a member of the Daulah Islamiyah-Hassan Group during an encounter in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Western Mindanao Command head Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan said soldiers encountered some 30 members of a local terrorist group led by Salahuddin Hassan in Barangay Salman.
In December last year, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated the Daulah Islamiyah as a terrorist organization, along with the ASG, the Islamic State East Asia, the Maute Group, and other Daesh-affiliated groups in the country.