2 hurt, 5 missing in Basilan gunfight

MANILA – A gunfight erupted between government forces and suspected Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters and Abu Sayyaf bandits in Lamitan, Basilan Thursday morning. Army Scout Rangers, policemen and elements of the 18th Infantry Battalion clashed with the combined elements of the Abu Sayyaf and MNLF in Barangay Colonia at around 9:15 a.m. The skirmishes are still ongoing, as of posting time. Lamitan City Vice Mayor Roerick Furigay said 2 civilians were wounded in the clash and 5 are missing. The wounded people are now in the hospital. A fire also broke out in the area, which Furigay said is dominated by Catholic residents. Furigay said the gunfight occurred some 500 meters away from the detachment of the scout rangers, and 2 kilometers from the city center. - Mornings@ANC, 12 September 2013