BY AARON RECUENCO
Police intelligence agents and elite commandos killed three suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in a brief gun battle in the waters of Zamboanga City on Wednesday morning.
Gen. Debold Sinas, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the operation stemmed from intelligence reports that a small group of Abu Sayyaf would be heading to mainland Mindanao to conduct bombing activities.
Police then intercepted a pump boat early Wednesday morning and engaged those three on board in a gun battle.
Sinas said two of the three ASG were taken to the nearby hospital for treatment but were declared dead. The body of the third fatality was retrieved later.
He identified the slain ASG men as Radi Nalul Tahirin, Hasan Alimin, and Abdilla Aspalin, all ASG members and were reportedly sympathizers of Daulah Islamiyah.
Police recovered from the pump boat two .45-caliber pistols and a cache of explosives.
The incident occurred a few weeks after the Philippine Navy killed seven members of the ASG off the waters of Sulu.
The ASG has been tagged as responsible for high-profile kidnappings and bombing activities in the past. It gained notoriety for beheading kidnap victims. (Aaron Recuenco)
