MAR SABATE
Iligan News Desk
TUBOD, LANAO DEL NORTE--Eight suspected MILF members have been captured by the military during law enforcement operations in Sitio Bayabao Buntong, Salvador, this province, M/Gen. Nehemias Pajarito told MINDANAO MONITOR.
Pajarito said he lauded his men, specifically the 35th IB troops under Captain Nilo Machete for the job well done.
The suspected MILF members arrested were identified as Misbah Drungawan, Khalid Sahmier, Kasangurah Macatungan, Ali Sahmier, Abu Naid, Lanie Macatungan, Sahmier Macatungan, and Nabilah Ngurah.
Lieutenant Col. Jose Faustino, 35th IB batallion commander disclosed that the reported MILF member killed while being held in their custody did not die in their hands but was killed during a riot with inmates in Tubod Provincial Jail.
Another encounter between Faustino’s troops happened in the same area the following week when the military meet some MILF members who were in a rido battle with a Maranao family in the area.
Meanwhile, 403rd brigade commanding officer Col. Nicanor Dolujan said that another encounter happened between them and the MILF in Brgy. Gasa Tagoloan, Lanao del Norte, Dec. 2.
Dolujan said that some 50 MILF troops hiding in the said village challenged them to a running gun battle that lasted for half an hour.
The military, with its full battle gears and equipments, released 17 rounds of 105 cannon to the area where the rebels were hiding causing the insurgents to withdraw, leaving behing their wounded comrades.
The military said five of their comrades were wounded in the encounter while three MILF rebels were captured, identified as Julumodin Emam, Sangali Tabuacar and Samin Sarif.
Checkpoints in the downtown area have been alerted for possible lookout of the withdrawing MILF members and to thwart the entry of the lawless group.
On the other hand, more than 700 PNP members have been deployed in different parts of the province for the security and protection of the people from renegade MILF members.
Of this figure, 30 are commissioned officers while 681 are non-commissioned officers, PNP regional director C/Supt. Teodorico Capuyan said.
The policemen will serve as augmentation forces and are from various units of the Provincial Police Mobile Groups (PPMG), the 4th PRMU, Iligan City Mobile Group and the Special Action Force.
Particularly, the 1st PPMG and the 1002nd PPMG have been deployed in the western part of Misamis Oriental covering the towns of Opol up to Lugait near the Lanao Del Norte border while those from the 1006th PPMG have been deployed in Baloi up to Kauswagan.
On the other hand, the 1008th PPMG have been deployed from Kolambugan, Tubod and Sultan Naga Dimaporo while the 1005th PPMG are deployed in Ozamiz City.
Capuyan said the 4th PRMU has also been deployed at the Advance Command Post of PNP-10 at Riverside, Kolambugan and at the police stations of Kolambugan, Kauswagan, Maigo, Bacolod and Linamon and a detachment in Libertad in Kauswagan.
Also deployed at Camp Tomas Cabili in Tipanoy, Iligan City are members of ICMG together with those of the SAF to serve as standby forces, Capuyan added.