Zambo kidnap gang leader slain

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A suspected leader of a kidnapping group and one of his followers were killed in an encounter with military intelligence agents last Thursday morning in Gutalac, Zamboanga del Norte, police said.

Killed were Jaojin Salam, alias Jaujin Salam, tagged as the second most wanted criminal in Western Mindanao and head of a kidnap gang operating in Zamboanga del Norte, and an unidentified henchman.

Senior Inspector Joseph Ortega, Region 9 police spokesman, said the intelligence personnel of the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion and 9th Intelligence Service Unit encountered Salam’s group in a coastal area in Gutalac town, triggering a 20-minute firefight. Two M-14 rifles were recovered from the slain suspects.