Bandits attack Marine camp, 4 hurt

MANILA, Philippines – Four people, including two children, were reported hurt after suspected bandits attacked a camp of the Philippine Marines in a remote village in Patikul, Sulu, on Christmas Day.

Reports from the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) said that members  of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-6 (MBLT-6) were manning a detachment in Barangay Kanague on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, when the suspects, armed with an M203 grenade launcher and other high-powered firearms, opened fire at them shortly before 9 in the morning.

“The duty lookout opened fire when he saw two persons armed with m14 and m16 w/m203 gl approx one hundred fifty (150) meters fm his post,” said Lt Col Randy Cabangbang, spokesperson of the WestMinCom.

A certain Juhurim Husein, identified as a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), along with close to 40 followers, initiated the Christmas Day offensive against the military.

The attack resulted in a firefight that lasted for an hour and a half, with MBLT-6 troops from the adjacent village of Buhanginan, responding to back up the troops under fire.

Among those wounded in the attack were Sgt Alejandro Ong, who sustained a shrapnel wound in the leg, and three unidentified civilians, two of whom were “children.”

They were all brought to a hospital inside the Kampo Heneral Teodulfo S. Bautista, the military’s main base in Jolo town, and are expected to be airlifted to Zamboanga City. – Rappler.com