Five residents of a coastal village and a civilian volunteer were killed while another was wounded after a group of boat-riding gunmen fired at them following an encounter with security forces in Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte Thursday night.
In a delayed report, Chief Insp. Helen Galvez, Public Information officer of the Police Regional office in Zambaonga del Norte identified the fatalities as Amsid Maugag Callun, civilian volunteer, Absar Julkanain Gumba, Kabiran Saliuddin Ginsing, Saddam Baitulla Tahir, Jaayri Bairulla Lumihig and Muslimin Adan.
The incident occurred after five unidentified armed men clad in military uniform on board a motorized pump boat swooped down at Barangay Piacan, Sirawan town at about 6:05 pm.
Troops manning a detachment at the said village spotted the armed men, resulting to an encounter.
The military, however, did not give any details on the circumstances surrounding the death of the victims.
In the middle of the fighting, the armed men forcibly seized a sexagenarian couple whom they used as hostages to evade pursuing troops as they retreated.
The couple was identified as Rufo Roda, 62, a retired civilian volunteer and his wife Helen, 64, both residents of Piacan village.
The armed men, along with their hostage couple, withdrew towards the high seas of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte.
Elements of the Sirawai Municipal Police Station, along with troopers from the 42nd Infantry Battalion and Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Mobile Force Company, are now conducting hot pursuit operation against the armed men to rescue the couple.
Galvez said they are still clueless as to the armed group’s affiliation.
But reports said that the coastal villages of Zamboanga del Norte are frequently visited by the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group bandits.”‹