Sultan Kudarat village exec, 2 others killed in anti-drug ops

LAMBAYONG, Sultan Kudarat -- A sub-commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and two of his subordinates were killed in simultaneous pre-dawn operations in a remote village here Saturday.

Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, Soccsksargen region police director, said separate operations on the strength of search warrants issued by a regional court in North Cotabato were launched at 2:15 a.m. in the villages the suspects reside.

Morales identified the targets as Tambak barangay chairman Yusop Mukalam; Pimbalayan barangay chairman Musaid Kandatu; Randy Kamid, an MILF faction commander; and a certain Jaime Silongan, all of Lambayong.

Law enforcers first swooped down on the house of Silongan in Barangay Tambak but he immediately fired at lawmen, triggering a shootout. Silongan was critically injured and was rushed to a hospital but died along the way. Seized from him were one Ingram sub-machinegun and five sachets of shabu valued at PHP25, 000.

Morales said another police unit went to the house of Mukalam in Tambak village but he opened fire on approaching lawmen who returned fire, wounding the official. Mukalam did not reach the hospital in Poblacion Lambayong alive.

Morales said the raiding team seized from Mukalam one .45-caliber pistol, seven sachets of shabu valued at PHP35,000, weighing scale and shabu paraphernalia.

In the house of Randy Kamid, an MILF sub-commander, gunfire also met the approaching lawmen triggering a brief firefight. Police rushed the injured Kamid to a hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.

Seized from Kamid's house was a .38-caliber revolver, 12 sachets of shabu with an estimated value of PHP70,000 and shabu paraphernalia.

Morales said another village chairperson, Musaid Kindatu of Barangay Pimbalayan, did not resist arrest. Recovered from him were a Glock 17 magazine assembly, a fragmentation grenade, a rifle grenade, ammunition and two-way radio sets.

Morales said the operation was witnessed by other local officials in the two villages where the operations were conducted. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)