SEIZED GUNS. Some of the firearms that the Army and police forces recovered in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday (April 6, 2024). The firearms are believed to be owned by private armed groups that have been harassing civilians in remote areas of the town. (Photo courtesy of 6ID)
COTABATO CITY – Government forces separately recovered 10 assorted high-powered firearms from private armed groups (PAGs) in Maguindanao del Norte over the weekend, police and military authorities said Monday.
In one of the operations, a police team was on patrol in Barangay Labungan, Datu Odin Sinsuat town on Saturday when they discovered a cache of abandoned firearms.
"After exploring the area, our troops discovered six high-powered firearms and war paraphernalia that had been left unattended," Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, police regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said in a statement Monday.
The firearms included two M16 rifles, a Thompson submachine gun, a shotgun, a Garand rifle, an M14 rifle, three bandolier pouches, and 200 rounds of ammunition found inside an abandoned house.
"The discovery of these recovered high-powered guns is a significant advantage as it effectively hinders armed groups from utilizing them for acts of insurgency and unlawful activities," Tanggawohn said.
Also on Saturday, elements of the Army's 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion (MIB) recovered four high-powered firearms in Barangay Kakar, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte,
Barangay Kakar is about 15 kilometers away from Barangay Labungan, both in the same town.
Lt. Col. Jerome D. Peñalosa, 2MIB commander, said Army troopers were conducting clearing operations in the village when they found the armaments.
Before that, civilians alerted the soldiers about the presence of heavily armed men believed to be PAGs of local politicians.
"While our troops were approaching the area, all male civilians were seen running away, and upon clearing operations, they found four war materials," Peñalosa said.
Recovered were a .30-caliber machine gun, two M16 rifles, a 40mm grenade launcher, magazines, and ammunition.
Major General Alex S. Rillera, the Army's 6th Infantry Division commander, said the recovered firearms meant that "lives of innocent civilians in villages are saved."
The harassment by gunmen in Barangay Labungan on Saturday also sent over 1,000 families to safer grounds.
On Sunday, the Maguindanao del Norte provincial government extended food and non-food aid to the displaced families. (PNA)
