3 killed in ambush in Lanao del Sur town

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines — Three men were killed  in an ambush in Pualas town in Lanao del Sur on Sunday, police said.

Jabber Tanog and his cousins, Ayno and Aladdin Saripada, were on their way to Barangay Notong, Pualas when gunmen blocked their path and shot them with assault rifles, killing them on the spot.

Personnel of the Pualas municipal police identified their attackers as Sadam Watamama, Sadam Bonsalagan, Talawag Ame, Olo Ame, Bakar Ame, Kasanodin Tanog, Asko Macasayan and Saidamen Balindong, last seen fleeing to hinterlands overlooking Lake Lanao.

Chief Superintendent Graciano Mijares of the Police Regional Office-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said Monday they have enlisted the help of municipal officials in their search for the culprits.

Mijares said probers have yet to determine if the incident could related to a clan feud, or to the May 14 barangay and Sangguinang Kabataan elections.

A gun ban is in place in preparation for the elections.