Philippine government troops engaged the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group Abu Sayyaf Tuesday, killing five of their members. A government troop was wounded in the encounter that happened in Basilan in southern Philippines.
Five members of terrorist group Abu Sayaff, a militant Islamist group based in southern Philippines, were killed in a clash with Philippine government troops.
One of the fatalities was identified as Riwan Musa, an Abu Sayyaf commander linked to terrorist activities in Basilan and Jolo in Southern Philippines.
Yahoo news reports:
The militants, suspected of receiving funds from al-Qaida, are notorious for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheading.
The Abu Sayyaf is believed to have about 400 fighters and is suspected of sheltering militants from the larger Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah
Abu Sayaff is one of the violent terrorist organization based in southern Philippines. The group is linked to various international terrorist organizations including al-Qaida, Taliban, Jeemah Islamiyah and Raha Sulaiman International.
Abu Sayaff's area of operations includes Borneo, the Sulu Archipelago and Palawan. The terrorist group has about 400 men who are heavily armed with sophisticated weapons.
The United States Department of State has classified the group as a terrorist group by adding it to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. As a result, the CIA deployed paramilitary officers from their elite Special Activities Division to hunt down and kill or capture key terrorist leaders, according to
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