June 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –
A policeman and a member of a private security group have been killed in a shootout with gunmen in Maibung, in the Philippine province of Joló. Another 14 people have been injured.
Police have reported that the deceased agent was a member of the Special Action Force, an elite police force in an operation in which the objective was to execute an arrest warrant against the former deputy mayor of Maimbung, Pando Mudjasan, reports Philippine television ABS-CBN.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning when the group of officers stormed in search of Mudjasan, accused of murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
A group of individuals from a private security group protected the suspect, who finally managed to flee after being alerted to the shooting. The body of one of the mercenaries, an M-14 rifle, four chargers and other ammunition were recovered at the scene.
A police spokesman, Romeo Caramat Jr., explained that Mudjasan is accused of being a commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (FMLN) and of supporting lieutenants of the Islamist group Abu Sayyaf.
