A total of 15 soldiers have already been killed in the government’s heightened campaign against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said on Tuesday.
This developed after President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the military troops to destroy the ASG.
In a press briefing with Palace reporters, Abella said the number of military men who were killed in the battle against the ASG was based on reports released by the Department of National Defense (DND).
He said the government is going full force in its operations, and the DND is adding five battalions or about 2,500 soldiers for the anti-ASG offensive.
These troops will only be assigned in Sulu with a mission of destroying the ASG and rescuing the latter’s hostages. (PNA)