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| Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) |
By Jaime Laude
MANILA, Philippines - The military’s sustained drive against the Abu Sayyaf group and the New People’s Army (NPA) has left 109 bandits and 91 rebels dead.
On the other hand, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) lost 109 soldiers and had 599 men wounded in clashes in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga, AFP spokesman Edgard Arevalo said yesterday.
The military’s anti-terror campaign against the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao also resulted in the arrest of 72 bandits and the surrender of 99 others, Arevalo said.
“From Jan. 1 to July 19, we have neutralized 290 Abu Sayyaf bandits,” he said.
He added the military also suffered 483 casualties, with 66 soldiers killed and 470 wounded in its anti-terror and anti-kidnapping campaigns against bandits in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The Abu Sayyaf has executed at least 15 of its captives in kidnap-for-ransom operations.
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