Officials say Philippine police commandos have killed an Abu Sayyaf commander linked to last year’s kidnapping of Red Cross workers and gunned down two other militants in a clash in the south.
Jolo police chief Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac said Gafur Jumdail and two of his men were killed late Saturday near Maimbung town on Jolo island after clashing with commandos tracking a Malaysian militant. He said an unknown number of militants may have been wounded in the brief battle.
The death of Jumdail, who had been accused of several high-profile abductions including the January 2009 kidnappings of three Red Cross workers from Switzerland, Italy and the Philippines, is the latest blow to the Abu Sayyaf.
Still, the group remains a major security threat in the Philippines.