Eight killed in Jolo, south of Philippines, after a ‘fierce firefight’ between soldiers and Abu Sayyaf militants

The soldiers battled the Abu Sayyaf militants on the southern island of Jolo in a two-hour clash

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Philippine soldiers in Jolo, Sulu province on the southern island of Mindanao. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30pm, 2 Feb 2019Updated: 12:14am, 3 Feb 2019

A “fierce firefight” on Saturday killed five soldiers and three militants from the notorious Islamist group suspected of this week’s deadly cathedral bombing in the south of the Philippines, said the military.

The soldiers battled the Abu Sayyaf militants on the southern island of Jolo, which is the group’s stronghold as well as the site of dual bomb attack on a Catholic church January 27 that killed at least 21 people and wounded more than 100 others at Sunday mass.

After the cathedral bombing, President Rodrigo Duterte singled out the kidnap-for-ransom group – which has previously been blamed for some of the Philippines’ deadliest attacks – and ordered the military to “crush” them.

“It was a fierce firefight,” said regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana, who confirmed the death toll. “It went on for nearly two hours.”

Besana said another five soldiers and 15 militants were wounded in fight between the army and about 150 militant fighters in the jungles near Patikul town in Sulu province.

An attack on a Catholic church in Jolo killed 21 people at mass on January 27. Photo: Xinhua

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