The remains of the Cordilleran soldier who perished during the encounter between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf Group in Bangkal, Patikul, Sulu on Jan. 31 is set to be brought home to Kalinga.
Private First-Class Clint Pasingan from Apatan, Pinukpuk was killed in action during a fierce encounter between the Philippine Army and the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Also wounded were Sgt. Michael Baguno and PFC Celestino Tanu while Abu Sayyaf member Omar Yakhan was also killed, according to M/Gen. William Gonzales, commanding officer of the Army’s 11th Infantry Division.
Gonzales was quoted as saying the two wounded soldiers are in stable condition.
He said the encounter is part of the all-out offensive operations launched by the Joint Task Force Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Barangay Bangkal.
The slain militant was identified to be a follower of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Ellam Nasirin, whose group was responsible behind the Jan. 25 ambush of a military truck in Patikul that killed a Muslim soldier.
The government troops were tracking down the group of Nasirin when they clashed with the terrorists.
Gonzales said soldiers also recovered the slain militant’s Korean-made K3 light machine gun or squad automatic weapon which is also being used by the military.
It was unknown whether the weapon was taken from a soldier during a previous clash.
The 29-year-old Pasingan entered the service in 2018 and is the youngest child of four siblings.
He is survived by his two children and his partner. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 25, 2024
