UPDATE: Troops clash with Abu Sayyaf-linked group in SuluBy The Manila TimesZAMBOANGA CITY – Troops clashed with a band of Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippine province of Sulu where security forces are on a mission to crush the brutal pro-IS group blamed by authorities for deadly twin bombings on a cathedral in the capital town of Jolo. The military offensives, however, also forced villagers to flee their homes in Latih and Bungkaong. The Ajang-Ajang group is composed of members who are in their 20s and 30s and who run errands for their superiors in the Abu Sayyaf. Alamia said dozens of families displaced by the military offensives were provided food aid. Sulu Governor Abdusakur “Toto” Tan also dispatched social workers to look into the welfare of the displaced villagers.

Source: Manila Times January 31, 2019 07:40 UTC