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COTABATO CITY, Philippines – A man was killed while at least seven others were wounded in separate violent incidents in Cotabato City and Basilan since Tuesday, June 17, highlighting persistent security threats in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The incidents unfolded just as independent watchdog Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) warned of continued violence in the Muslim-majority region even after the midterm elections. CCAA counted over 200 people killed since the election period in the BARMM, with at least half of the cases linked to the polls.
In Cotabato City, BARMM’s regional center, Marine troops killed a suspected gunman and arrested his wounded companion on Wednesday night, June 18, after a shootout that stemmed from an attack on barangay watchmen.
Authorities said the suspects had earlier shot two barangay tanods in Poblacion 4 at around 8 pm, just two days before the city’s Charter Day celebration, before trying to escape on a motorcycle. They were intercepted by patrolling soldiers from Marine Landing Team 5, who attempted to stop them due to suspicious behavior.
The suspects reportedly ignored the warning and one of them opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire that killed the still unidentified assailant.
Captain Harmin Sinsuat of Cotabato’s Police Station 1 identified the arrested suspect as Homidie Salipudin, a resident of Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur.
According to Ragina Ayunan, barangay chairperson of Poblacion 4, Cotabato City, the two village guards, identified as Abdulhaq Umal and Niño Galimba, were on duty when they were shot by the suspects for a still unknown reason.
Ayunan added that the victims, along with other barangay officials, had been receiving death threats prior to the attack.
The police are still determining the identity of the fatality and the motive behind the attack.
A day later, Thursday, June 19, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a suspected bomb expert and extortionist wanted for murder and arson in Cotabato City. The suspect, Lutre Aman, is from Buliok, Pikit, Cotabato province, and believed to be a close associate of slain Dawlah Islamiyah leader Salahuddin Hassan, according to NBI-BARMM officials.
Aman is allegedly involved in the 2021 bombing of a Yellow Bus unit in Tulunan, Cotabato, which killed a fruit vendor, and in the arson of another Yellow Bus unit in Mlang, Cotabato, that left two passengers dead.
In Maguindanao del Sur, armed skirmishes between rival groups were reported on Wednesday night in Sultan sa Barongis and Shariff Aguak towns. Security officials said firefights in these areas have persisted since election day.
In Basilan, another BARMM province, a grenade attack at a gasoline station injured four civilians at around 3:40 pm Tuesday along Aguinaldo Street, Barangay Matibay, Lamitan City.
The wounded were identified as Jamil Mataud Mahmud, 45, a construction worker; Naim Lamla Tomas, 30, a gasoline boy; Gunong Reyyan, 20, a student; and Mut-ab Muntasil Gunong, 23, also a gasoline boy.
Colonel Cerrazid Umabong, Basilan police director, who inspected the place of the attack, said fragments of a grenade were found at the blast site.
The Lamitan City police have yet to ascertain the culprit behind the grenade attack.
Meanwhile in the neighboring Zamboanga Peninsula, an alleged Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member was killed in a shootout with authorities in Zamboanga City on the same day as the Basilan attack.
Colonel Fidel Fortaleza, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) director, said the alleged ASG member, Nasser Taman, who uses the alias Gapur, was killed during a joint police and military operation at around 8:05 pm Tuesday in Sitio Cambodia, Barangay Sangali, Zamboanga City.
Fortaleza said Taman shot the Marine troops positioned as blocking forces along the shore of Barangay Sangali while he tried to escape aboard a motorboat. The suspect was killed when the troops retaliated.
The joint police and military troops were serving an arrest warrant against Taman, who at that time was armed with a caliber .45 pistol. The slain suspect had a case at a local court for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Authorities said they recovered some 100 grams of suspected shabu (meth) worth P680,000 from the slain suspect. – Rappler.com
