ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two policemen were shot dead while jogging early yesterday near the airstrip in Jolo, the capital of Sulu, authorities said.
But Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, chief of the anti-terror Task Force, said the killing of SPO4 Ali Tukulan Abam, 52, and SPO2 Husin Ahmad Sangkula, 53, was not terrorism-related and looked “like more of a family feud.”
The killing took place despite the airport’s proximity to an Army and Marine camp. The airport runway had been one of the few places considered safe enough for joggers on the troubled island.
Police officer Edison Lim said they were also ruling out robbery since the slain lawmen still had their sidearms.
Sulu has been a haunt of armed Muslim groups like the Abu Sayyaf, which has engaged in some of the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including mass kidnappings for ransom and random murders.
US and Philippine security agencies have linked the Abu Sayyaf to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden. – Roel Pareño