ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 27, 2012) – Police forces raided a suspected hideout of a notorious drug lord in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, sparking a fire fight that left one policemen dead and two others wounded, officials said Friday.
Officials said the fighting erupted in the seaside village of Recodo where policemen raided the hideout of Margani Samla alias “Bin Laden,” who is one of the most wanted criminals in Zamboanga.
Samla was able to elude arrest, but police captured seven of his alleged followers during the raid late Thursday.
“One policeman was killed and another is lawman is wounded in the fighting. An elderly civilian was also wounded by a stray bullet,” Senior Inspector Joel Tutoh, of the local police office, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said policemen the operation is still going on in an effort to track down Samla and his other followers.
Last year, police also clashed with Salma’s group in the village. Police linked Salma to the spate of killings also in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
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