Philippine firefight leaves 'heavy casualties'

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines

Philippine troops clashed with over a hundred Daesh-linked terrorists over the weekend, leading to heavy casualties on both sides, the military said on Monday.

Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the Western Mindanao Command, confirmed that heavy skirmishes broke out in the south of the country between troops from the Joint Task Force Sulu and Abu Sayyaf militants in Talipao town as rescue operations for kidnap victims continued.

Galves said soldiers had been acting on intelligence, searching for a number of Vietnamese hostages held by the terror group when a firefight broke out in Barangay Upper Laus.

"After the clearing operation, field reports from the ground disclosed that the Abu Sayyaf suffered heavy casualties as they were seen dragging their slain and wounded colleagues... Bloodstains were also seen in the areas where the bandits [had been] positioned during the encounter," he added.

According to the military, the Abu Sayyaf is still holding a number of foreigners -- among them nationals of Indonesia, Vietnam and the Netherlands -- plus seven Filipinos.

Since 1991, Abu Sayyaf -- armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles -- has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion. It has pledged allegiance to Daesh.