War vessels ring Basilanhttp://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/a...090815top1.htmlThe military has deployed several war vessels around Basilan province in southern Mindanao to prevent supposed remnants of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf from escaping to nearby islands.
It gave funeral honors on Friday in Zamboanga City to the 23 soldiers killed in clashes in the province on Wednesday and Thursday.
Col. Romeo Brawner, the chief of the Armed Forces’ Public Affairs Office, said that the war vessels were deployed on Thursday right after a day-long encounter between government troops and Abu Sayyaf rebels that left more than 50 dead. He did not say how many war vessels were deployed to the area.
Brawner added that a naval blockade or what the Philippine Navy calls a naval barrier patrol will be monitoring the waters surrounding Basilan to stop attempts of the Abu Sayyaf to escape.
He said that the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf might be planning to flee to Sulu province, or to the Zamboanga provinces, the nearest neighbors of Basilan.
Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, the chief of the Philippine Navy’s Public Affairs Office, said that the Navy had deployed at least three gunboats and several patrol and multipurpose attack boats.
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Military conducts naval patrol in BasilanBy Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 20:27:00 08/14/2009
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/...trol-in-BasilanMANILA, Philippines – The military has begun conducting naval patrol around the island of Basilan to prevent any remaining Abu Sayyaf bandits from escaping towards nearby provinces, a military spokesman said Friday.
The naval patrol began Thursday, a day after the series of bloody encounters between government forces and elements of the Abu Sayyaf, augmented by troops from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The encounter, which left at least 23 soldiers killed, was part of the military’s operation to overrun a known Abu Sayyaf training and explosives manufacturing camp.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner, Jr. said the patrol is part of the follow-up operations being conducted for the Abu Sayyaf bandits who may have escaped to nearby islands of Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Zamboanga.
Brawner said an additional 200 troops from the Western Mindanao Command will be deployed in Basilan to assist pursuit operations against Abu Sayyaf and MILF rebels.
The Philippine Navy has also deployed three patrol gunboats to conduct patrol operations and two auxiliary vessels in Basilan for transporting troops.