Joint manhunt launched vs Pikit gunmen

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines — Police and Army members fused ranks to hasten the search for gunmen responsible for the fatal ambush of two fish vendors in Pikit town.

Inspector Sindatun Karim, chief of the Pikit municipal police, on Friday said Army intelligence operatives are now helping them identify the assailants of traders Antakan Abdilla and Sancopan Ali slain Friday in Barangay Landingin.

The victims were riding a passenger motorcycle together on their way to the Pikit town proper when unidentified gunmen, armed with .45 caliber pistols, blocked their path and opened fire, killing them both on the spot.

The driver of the passenger motorcycle, identified only as Johnny, was wounded in the shooting. He is now undergoing medication at a hospital in the town proper.

Karim said investigators are still unsure of the possible motive for the ambush.

The incident could have stemmed from old grudge involving one of the two fish vendors, or by business rivalry, he said.