Cops get 860 new rifles for counter-terrorism ops in Region 12

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — The counter-terrorism campaign of the Region 12 police got a boost with 860 more new assault rifles supplied by the national government.

Besides the 410 Galil and 420 Emtan rifles, the Police Regional Office-12 also received 225 Canik 9 millimeter pistols from Camp Crame.

The firearms were distributed to PRO-12 personnel involved in sensitive law-enforcement missions.

Superintendent Aldrin Gonzalez, spokesman of PRO-12, told reporters Friday a big number of the new firearms were issued to personnel of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-12 and to all provincial police offices in central Mindanao.

The PRO-12 covers the provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong and Kidapawan, where there is presence of militant groups operating in the fashion of the Islamic State.

Chief Superintendent Eliseo Rasco of PRO-12 personally led Thursday’s turnover of the firearms to the RMFB-12 and officials of the four provincial police offices in the region.

In separate statements Friday, senior members of the multi-sectoral Regional Advisory Council-PRO-12 said they were elated with Camp Crame’s having supplied the region’s police command with new firearms its personnel can use in peacekeeping missions in central Mindanao.

The PRO-12 neutralized more than a dozen key members of the Ansa’r Khilafa Philippines and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in the past 24 months.

Both groups are using the black Islamic State flag as banner.

The PRO-12 hit the news when its agents, backed by members of the General Santos City police, arrested here last July Nafisah Pundog, wife of Owaida Marohombsar, also known as Abu Dar, the new leader of the Maute terror group that instigated the destructive May 23 to Aug. 16, 2017 conflict in Marawi City.

Gonzalez said the release of some of the new Galil and Emtan rifles to the combat-ready rapid deployment RMFB-12 will improve the unit’s capability to address regional security threats.