THE WESTERN Mindanao Command condemned the attack on Ungkaya Pukan Vice Mayor Ahmadin Baharim around 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, resulting in the death of one soldier and wounding of seven others.
The military did not identify the slain soldiers and the wounded.
Major Andrew Linao, the spokesperson of Western Mindanao Command, said the vice mayor and the troops of the 64th Infantry Battalion and police officers, who are members of the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) were attacked in Barangay Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan.
He said more or less ten armed men rained bullets on the convoy, comprising two KM450 trucks and two civilian vehicles.
The team had just finished an ocular inspection for an outreach program for the barangay on Aug. 18.
The security escorts fought back resulting in a five-minute firefight.
The military said in a statement, “This act is a clear manifestation of the perpetrators’ disrespect to their local government officials, the military, and their fellow Basileños, hence, we will not stop until these heartless individuals are identified and neutralized.”
“Rest assured that this incident will not be tolerated and we will work doubly to disallow the malefactors to perpetrate such incident,” it added.
