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4 ASG 'cohorts' killed in Tawi-Tawi clash

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

January 20, 2020, 3:36 pm

RECOVERED EVIDENCE. Government troops recover a US-made .30-caliber M1 Garand rifle, ammunition, two sachets of suspected shabu, and other pieces of evidence following a clash with armed men with alleged links with Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf Group in the town of Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi. Local and military officials say the suspects were also involved in illegal drugs. (Photo courtesy of Western Mindanao Command Public Information Office)

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Four drug personalities with alleged ties with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed while a soldier was wounded in a clash in the province of Tawi-Tawi, military officials said Monday.

Brig. Gen. Camilo Balutan, Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander, said the firefight occurred around 5 a.m. Sunday in Barangay Lakit-Lakit, Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi, when the troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-6 (MBLT-6) chanced upon a group of gunmen while conducting a "focused military operation."

Balutan said the clash resulted in the deaths of four gunmen identified as Oyong Maulana, Datu Solon Maulana, Rashida Maulana, and Nhadz Omar. A soldier was also slightly injured during the clash.

He said the slain gunmen are known as cohorts of the Sulu-based ASG in the group's kidnapping operations within the borders of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Sapa-Sapa officials have also positively identified the four casualties as notorious drug personalities, the Army official said.

Following the firefight, Balutan said the troops recovered firearms, ammunition, two plastic sachets of suspected shabu, assorted illegal drug paraphernalia, and other pieces of evidence.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, commended the troops for the "very remarkable accomplishment" in the government's anti-terror campaign.

“We are working round-the-clock to ensure the safety and security of the people in our area of operations,” Sobejana said.

He said troops are tracking down the other members of the group who managed to escape. (PNA)

 

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