MANILA — At least 43 police officers in the southern Philippines were killed during an attempt to capture one of Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorism suspects, police and government officials said on Monday.
The raid resulted in the largest single loss of life by Philippine police officers in recent history and was the first breach of a more than yearlong cease-fire with Muslim rebels under a fragile peace deal with the government. The operation most likely also killed the terrorism suspect, officials said on Monday.
Early Sunday morning, 392 police officers from the elite Special Action Force, which is trained in the use of high-powered weapons and special tactics, conducted a surprise raid in the small town of Tukanalipao, on the restive southern Philippine island of Mindanao. The operation was designed to capture Zulkifli bin Hir, a Malaysian national and a senior leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network who also goes by the name Marwan, said Leonardo Espina, the acting chief of the Philippine National Police.
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Philippine military officials said in February 2012 that an early morning airstrike on Jolo Island had killed Mr. Zulkifli. Malaysian intelligence officials disputed the report, saying they believed he was wounded but still alive. The Philippine police have maintained since the 2012 attack that Mr. Zulkifli was killed.
On Monday, the Philippine police and military were searching the area of the firefight for survivors or additional bodies, Mr. Roxas said.
