ZAMBOANGA CITY: Three Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits were killed in a firefight with security forces in Panamao town on Friday afternoon after a military patrol chanced upon armed men triggering a firefight. There was no report of military casualties and soldiers recovered an automatic rifle and a pistol from the slain gunmen. The troops turned over the slain fighters to town officials, but their identities were not immediately known. Soldiers were still searching for the ASG hostages in Panamao and other towns where the bandits are actively operating.
