19 slain, 12 wounded in fresh clashes between soldiers, Abu Sayyaf banditsBy Francis T. Wakefield and Nonoy E. LacsonAt least 15 soldiers, including an Army officer, and four Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits were killed while 12 others were wounded in three separate clashes in Sulu late Monday afternoon, the military said yesterday. Other soldiers killed were S/Sgt. Among the wounded soldiers were Cpl. At about 3:42 p.m. the same day, Lt. Col. Samuel Manzano and his troops encountered more or less 80 Abu Sayyaf bandits at Barangay Kuttong, Talipao, Sulu. With the all-out offensive against the Abu Sayyaf, President Duterte expects retaliatory attacks but he stressed that the government is ready to crush the Islamist militants.

Source: Manila Bulletin August 30, 2016 16:07 UTC