ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two Abu Sayyaf militants who bolted jail were killed in a clash with soldiers in the southern province of Basilan, officials said Monday.
Officials said Special Forces soldiers were
tracking down the prisoners over the weekend when they spotted the duo in the
village of Cabunbata. But instead of surrendering peacefully they opened fire
on the soldiers sparking a firefight that eventually killed them.
The duo -
Nurhassan Lahaman and Battuh Murag - were among the 7 prisoners who escaped
October 13 from the provincial jail after overpowering their guard and fatally
shooting him.
Army Col. Domingo Gobway, commander of the Joint
Task Force Basilan, said both prisoners had criminal cases and one of them was
linked to the July 30, 2018 bombing in Lamitan City.
Gobway said soldiers recovered an automatic
rifle and .45-caliber pistol from the slain prisoners. There was no report of
military casualty.
Army Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, chief of the Western Mindanao
Command, said security forces were hunting down the other prisoners in Basilan,
one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
“The military and the police are in hot pursuit of the remaining
escapees. We cannot deny the fact that they are familiar of the terrain, but,
we are maximizing our efforts to expedite the arrest of the remaining fugitives
the soonest possible,” he said.
It was not the first time that prisoners
escaped from the facility.
In December 2009, more than 100
gunmen stormed the prison and freed at least 31 hardened criminals, including
Abu Sayyaf militants. The daring raid left two people dead.
And in July 2007, at least 16
criminals, including four Abu Sayyaf militants, also escaped from the same
prison after destroying the windows of their cell. But in April 2004, at least
53 of the more than 130 prisoners at the provincial jail, including 19 Abu
Sayyaf militants, escaped after overpowering their guards. (Zamboanga Post)
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