ASG tagged in Zambo shootings

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities tagged the Abu Sayyaf Group’s urban terrorist group (UTG) as responsible for the series of shootings here.

The local government here has issued a P50,000 reward for any information that could lead the police and military to the assassins.

The latest victim was SPO1 Rodolfo Desa who was gunned down before 1 p.m. last Sunday along Nuñez Extension. He was on his way to the Sta. Maria police station when shot from behind.

Desa was the eighth policeman killed in the past few days.

The attack came barely hours after Senior Superintendent Mario Yanga took over as city police director.

Senior police officials disclosed that the liquidation has the pattern of a UTG style of assassination in Sulu, which targeted men in uniform.

"We are trailing a certain group who could be behind this series of shootings," said Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela, city police deputy chief.

At least nine Marines, Army men and policemen were killed last August by the Abu Sayyaf’s UTG, a squad trained in demolition and assassination.