PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 29, 2013) – Government soldiers clashed with bandits in a sea battle off the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur killing or wounding a still undetermined number of gunmen, officials said on Tuesday.
General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said the gun battle lasted about 2 hours. The bandits, he said, managed to escape on a coastal village called Bacao in the neighboring town of Malangas and leaving their motorized boat behind.
“We still don’t know how many gunmen were killed or wounded, but the bloodstains were all over the boat. Our troops are scouring the area to track down the bandits,” Cruz told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner, adding there was no casualty on the military side.
He said the soldiers were patrolling the sea when they spotted the gunmen and pursued them.
“Initial military reports identified the leader of the gang as Kiyang Balimbingan, a notorious extortionist operating in the province. The gang is also preying on small fishermen in Zamboanga Sur,” Cruz said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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