Soldier killed in Zamboanga clash
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2019 10:12:46 +0000
ZAMBOANGA CITY – An army soldier was killed in a clash with gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, security officials said on Sunday.
Captain Clint Antipala, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said policemen, backed by soldiers, were serving arrest warrants on a criminal gang leader, Basiran Ahil Mudja, in Sibuco town when the fighting erupted over the weekend.
Mudja’s group fought with security forces for about 15 minutes. The gunmen managed to escape from the troops. Antipala, quoting Colonel Bagnus Gaerlan, commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, said the clash also left a still undetermined number of gunmen dead or wounded.
“Pursuit operation has been conducted to arrest and neutralize the armed group who also suffered casualties based on the bloodstains left in the encounter site,” Antipala said.
He said Mudja has two warrants of arrest for murder and attempted murder in the province, which is also a stronghold of the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and bandits.
Antipala did not release the identity of the slain soldier, saying his family needs to be informed first.
“Our hero soldier died protecting the community in pursuit of peace and prosperity,” Gaerlan said. AL JACINTO
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