Troops sent to quell Sulu clan war
MORE security forces on Wednesday were deployed to Siasi, Sulu to quell fighting between two warring families and prevent further escalation of violence in the area, a Philippine National Police (PNP) report said on Friday.
Sporadic gunbattles between the Abraham and Yusop clans in Sitio Tubig Kutah in Bgy. Sipanding, Siasi erupted after a member of the Yusop family was killed while two others were wounded by gunmen belonging to the Abraham clan, the Bangsamoro Administrative Region (BAR) Police Regional Office said.
BAR police regional office director, Brigadier General Eden Ugale said Madoh Yusop was gunned down while his relatives Asmer and Raymond Adani were seriously wounded during the gun attack.
The suspects identified as Abraham Alamara, 69, Rodolfo Graciano, Amirajan Jumdain and Leoh Landon escaped on foot after the shooting incident and are still being hunted as of press time. All four will be facing criminal charges for murder and frustrated murder before a local prosecutor’s office, said Ugale.
The official reported to PNP chief General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar that shortly after the gun attacks, members of the Siasi Municipal Police Station led by Major Majindi Haling and Police Executive Master Sergeant Jamil Haddimah and soldiers from the 7th Marine Company led by 1st Lieutenant Charlie Penis rushed to the site to investigate the incident.
Ugale said that the security troops recovered nine high-powered rifles abandoned by members of the warring families in the area. The weapons composed of five M-14 and three M-16 automatic rifles, seven M-16 magazines with 50 live ammunition and 12 M-14 magazines with 128 bullets will be subjected to ballistics examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory.
The records of the seized weapons are also being checked by the local police since some of them were believed to be military issued based on their serial numbers.
