Cop, 3 gang members killed in Sulu shootout
COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Three members of a notorious criminal gang and a Special Action Force (SAF) operative were killed in a shootout in Barangay Bato-Bato, Indanan, Sulu, before dawn Thursday, October 30.
Local officials told reporters on Friday, October 31, that SAF members, operatives from the Sulu Provincial Police Office and the Police Regional Office-9, and personnel of the military’s Western Mindanao Command were searching for combat weapons, explosives, and illegal drugs at the hideout of Alnaid Sahiddan Daud and his two followers in Sitio Talatak, Barangay Bato-Bato, when the suspects opened fire, triggering a gunfight that left all three dead.
Daud was known in Indanan and nearby towns for his extortion activities, drug peddling, and for providing sanctuary to wanted criminals in exchange for money.
Senior officials of the Sulu police and the Western Mindanao Command confirmed that the operation also led to the death of SAF member Corporal Albasir Lauban Lumalag, whose family resides in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Another SAF member, Patrolman Felix Ruado, was wounded and brought to the Sulu Provincial Hospital in Jolo for treatment. Police Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta, director of PRO-9, ordered his transfer to a larger hospital outside Sulu for further care.
Police have yet to release the names of Daud’s two slain companions pending verification of the criminal cases filed against them in various courts.
Recovered from the scene were an M16 rifle, an M14 rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, and explosives.
Lumalag’s remains were airlifted from Sulu to the Cotabato Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat and buried Thursday night in accordance with Islamic tradition.
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