Security forces clash with gunmen in Zamboanga town

PAGADIAN CITY – Security forces clashed with a group of gunmen in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines where government forces are battling communist and Muslim insurgents, officials said Wednesday.

Officials said the fighting erupted in the village of Daniel Maing in Kalawit town after soldiers and police commandos caught up with about 20 armed men. There were no reports of government casualties, but officials claimed that an undetermined number of gunmen were believed slain in Tuesday clashes.

This was also confirmed Wednesday by the regional police with Chief Inspector Helen Galvez saying that security forces were still in the area running after gunmen who escaped the fighting along with their casualties.

“Operatives are still monitoring the area to determine the possible withdrawal of the enemies,” Galvez, a police spokeswoman, said.

She said soldiers from the 42^nd Infantry Battalion and 1^st Mobile Platoon of the Mobile Force Company also recovered one KG9 machine pistol, one rifle grenade, one hand grenade, assorted military uniforms and hammocks, including a pair of binoculars, flash lights and ammunition from the encounter site.

Galvez did not say if the gunmen were members of the communist rebel group New People’s Army or militants fighting for ISIS who are active in the province. The military’s Western Mindanao Command did not release any statement on the clashes. (Mindanao Examiner)

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