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Thursday, March 28, 2024

14 Jolo inmates bolt jail; 3 killed

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THREE inmates were killed Sunday and another was wounded after escaping from jail in Jolo, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The casualties were among 14 prisoners who escaped from a police station jail in the city, authorities said.

Some of the inmates were linked to the kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf gang, said provincial police chief Senior Supt. Mario Buyuccan.

“They cut the bars of the jail and jumped from the second floor to the roof of the municipal hall building next door. Our troops responded and the inmates were killed and wounded in hot pursuit operations,” Buyuccan said.

AFTER THE JAILBREAK.  An armored truck is positioned in front of a police station in Jolo, Sulu in Mindanao on July 16, 2017 after 14 inmates bolted jail.  Three of them were later killed by pursuing  police  who used K-9 and drones to track down the inmates. AFP

“Some inmates are associated with the Abu Sayyaf.” 

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The injured inmate was recaptured while soldiers and policemen were chasing the remaining 10 escapees. The jail had a total of 32 inmates, mostly facing drug charges, Buyuccan added. 

In the country’s biggest jailbreak, more than 150 inmates escaped a prison in Mindanao in January after about a hundred gunmen stormed the facility.

In May, Islamist militants waving black flags of the Islamic State group went on a rampage in the southern city of Marawi and freed 100 inmates from two jails there.

The incident triggered an ongoing military offensive involving air strikes and artillery barrages to flush out the militants. 

Buyuccan said there was no connection between Sunday’s jailbreak and the fighting in Marawi, which had killed more than 500 people.

Chief Supt Reuben Sindac, police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said that 10 other inmates remained at large and the object massive manhunt by joint police and military forces.

Sindac identified the slain detainees as Julbi Alinjani, Budda Basali and Midzar Sabli while the wounded and recaptured inmate as Gummi Maimbung.

Sindac said military personnel equipped with drones and K-9 units helped the police track the jail breakers. With AFP

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