The Philippine Online Chronicles

Seven suspected members of the insurgent Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed during an encounter with government troops on Laminusa Island in Siasi, Sulu predawn Sunday.

The soldiers were on their way to raid the lair of an ASG faction led by Abu Benhur aka Boy Tondo, when they clashed with the group of bandits in Baranggay Pookan around 3:45 a.m., according to Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincon) chief.

Backed by gunboats, elements of the Marine Batallion Landing Team 6 (MBLT6) under Lt. Col. Robert Velasco raided a row of houses on stilts that were believed to house Benhur and his men.

Benhur, believed to be associated with the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, was said to be coddling Zulfiki bin Hir aka Malwan, a Malaysian national who is a suspect in the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia. Marwan, a United States-trained engineer, is wanted by the US government with a $5-million bounty on his head.

Benhur was also said to be plotting a series of kidnappings and bombings in order to disrupt the coming May 10 elections.

The operation started at around 3:00 a.m. The first firefight lasted for about ten minutes, with the next assault coming hours later and lasting for about two hours. A marine was injured and was rushed to a nearby ship with two medical teams onboard.

Two among the seven ASG members killed were women. The military failed to capture Malwan and has yet to confirm whether Benhur was killed during the encounter.

The marines recovered several high-powered weapons, including five Garand rifles, four M-16 rifles, one M-14 rifle, one FN FAL Belgian-made assault rifle, and one M79 and one M203 grenade launcher.

Last month, Albader Parad, the ASG leader linked to the kidnapping of three red cross volunteers in January 2009, was also killed during an encounter with the marines in Maimbung, Sulu. Parad was also behind the kidnapping of Asian and European tourists at the Sipadan Island Resort in Sandakan, Sabah, in April 2000.