42 dead in Clash?

Ok, way to go again, AFP. You really know how to let me known the truth about operations against the Abu Sayaff in the southern Philippines. It seems every time there is clash, a number of soldiers die, but the number of Abu Sayaff members is always higher. I was just doing some calculating and it seems that there are a lot of Abu Sayaff members in the Sulu area of Zamboanga, Jolo and Basilan because thousands have been killed it seems.

Well, this time, I was talking to a rather high ranking soldier in Zamboanga City. He was telling me about the attack and was lamenting to me that they did not have a body count of the number of Abu Sayaff members killed in a skirmish that killed 14 of their own soliders.

Then, a few hours later, I read an article that said 42 Abu Sayaff were killed.

Marines swooped down early yesterday morning on a remote Abu Sayyaf camp in Basilan, killing 42 bandits – including a suspect in the beheading of 10 soldiers on July 10 – but losing 15 of their own men, including five junior officers.

So who do we believe? Believe the soldier with intimate knowledge of the situation and the body count or believe what the Armed Forces of the Philippines is telling the newspapers? If the AFP is lying to the public about this incident then what else are they lying about?