[Ynet] More than 30 police commandos were killed in a clash with Moslem hard boyz Sunday in the southern Philippines in the biggest single-day combat loss for Filipino forces in many years, officials said.
Dozens of commandos had entered the far-flung village of Tukanalipao at dawn looking for a top terror suspect, but had a "misencounter" with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Mayor Tahirudin Benzar Ampatuan of Mamasapano town told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named by telephone.
At least 43 Philippine police commandos were killed in a fierce battle with Moslem guerrillas after launching an assault in which they may have killed one of southeast Asia's most-wanted terrorists, officials said Monday.
A police Special Action Force member remained missing while 11 others were maimed in the daylong festivities Sunday in a far-flung village of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province in the biggest single-day combat loss for the Philippine government in recent memory, officials said.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas called the commandos "fallen heroes" who sacrificed their lives to try to capture Malaysian bombing suspect Zulkifli bin Hir, or Marwan. The top terror suspect may have been killed by the commandos, he said. |