ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 7, 2014) – Two government militias were killed and five others wounded in a clash late Friday with gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.
Officials said the fighting erupted in Sumisip town where gunmen earlier threatened workers of a government water project in the village of Sukatin. Those killed in the fighting have been identified as Duminta Gulinda and Bejo Sampang, while the wounded were Almirin Pantao, Omar Jadjales and Oloy Malanji – all militias.
Two of the attackers – Samir Balaman and Apet Muril – were also injured in the clashes, but had been taken away by their group, according to Capt. Jefferson Mamauag, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division.
Mamauag said troops belonging to the 64th Infantry Battalion headed by Lt. Randolf Manding clashed with about 15 gunmen under Kotatong Balaman. “There could be more casualties from the enemy side as bloodstains were spotted in their routes of withdrawal,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Lt. Col. Leandro Dacumos, the battalion commander, said villagers reported the presence of gunmen in the area and sought assistance from the authorities. “The encounter was in response to a report by concerned citizens regarding the presence of armed lawless elements sighted at the water system project of the local government. The lawless elements occupied the area and threatened the workers of the project,” he said.
The military did not say if the gunmen were members of the Abu Sayyaf or Moro Islamic Liberation Front which are actively operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)
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