Zamboanga City – A sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf (ASG) whose group abducted three foreign nationals and a Filipina from a resort in Samal Island, Davao del Norte last year was killed along with 10 other bandits during a military offensive in Patikul, Sulu yesterday morning. Army Major Filemon Tan Jr., spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) identified the ASG sub-leader as Mohammad Said alias “Ama Maas” who has five standing warrants for murder. Troops belonging to the Joint Task Force Sulu were searching the forests of Patikul for bandits following the “seek and destroy” directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte against the Abu Sayyaf when they ran into about 100 bandits at Sitio Makaita , Barangay Bunkaong in Patikul at about 6:10 a.m. yesterday resulting in a 45-minute gunbattle. When the smoke of gunfire cleared, government troops hauled the bodies of Maas and 10 others from the site [...]
