4 bandits killed in South Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – Four suspected bandits, including a son of a Moro rebel commander, were killed during a clash with soldiers at a remote village in South Cotabato province, a military official said yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Santiago, commanding officer of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said among those killed was a certain “White,” leader of the bandits and alleged to be the son of Moro Islamic Liberation Front field commander identified only as “Commander Jojo.”

Santiago said aside from White, three other bandits were killed after a gun battle with the elements of the 27th IB at the mountainous areas of Sitio Kiantay in Barangay Upper Sepaka, Surallah town Saturday afternoon.

One of the three other bandits remains unidentified, while two were known as Tata Kungan and Tagunoy.

“We are expecting more dead bodies of bandits to be recovered later,” Santiago said.

He said his men were conducting foot patrol in the area when they encountered 20 heavily-armed members of the “Sipot Gang,” a bandit group responsible for stealing farm animals and burning several houses in the village of Upper Sepaka and its adjacent barangays.

“They were caught in the act, that’s why they suffered several casualties in their side. The battle lasted for several minutes before they fled,” Santiago said.

Santiago said the Army soldiers and police are still pursuing the fleeing bandits. None of the government troops was killed or wounded in the clash, Santiago said.

The military and police forces launched an intensified operation against the bandit group after residents asked the government to neutralize them.

Upper Sepaka barangay captain Romeo Cabra was reportedly ambushed and killed by one of the sons of Commander Jojo last week, and his relatives called for the bandit group’s neutralization.