MANILA, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- At least six Abu Sayyaf members, including a commander, were killed and 17 Filipino soldiers were injured in the first clash between forces since President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the militant group destroyed after an 18-year-old hostage was beheaded.
Among those killed in a 45-minute firefight in Patikul, located in the province of Sulu, was Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Mohammad Said, who had five outstanding arrest warrants for murder. Said is thought to have been involved in the kidnapping of three people from a hotel last year. The group beheaded two of the Canadian hostages, John Risdell and Robert Hall, after ransom demands were not met.