Suspects blamed on deadly encounter with lawmen in Maguindanao town

MAGUINDANAO --- Drug traffickers provoked Tuesday’s firefight with lawmen in
Rajah Buayan town in Maguindanao that left a woman and two children dead, barangay
officials said Wednesday.Local
leaders told reporters the gunmen inside houses in a secluded area in
Barangay Panadtaban soldiers and policemen were to search for drugs
opened fire first, sparking a gunfight.The
Army and police teams were to arrest ten villagers, Willy Utto,
Datumama Utto, Tobin Balutintik, Romina Balutintik, Angie Balutintik,
Kader Kumilang, Bandaw Amil, Normina Tantong and Banjo Tantong, long
wanted for peddling of shabu.Senior
Supt. Agustin Tello, director of the Maguindanao provincial police,
said the group was possibly warned by lookouts on the presence of
soldiers and policemen in the vicinity prior to the shootout.Tello said the joint police-Army operation was carried out based on warrants issued by a court.Police
investigators on Wednesday morning found out that the mother earlier
reported to have perished in the incident was Normina, one of the
targets of the anti-narcotics operation.Also killed in the shootout was Kumilang, who was armed with 9 millimeter Uzi machine pistol.Normina’s three children, Akmad, 5, Marhaba, 3, and 12-month old Aldrin were wounded in the ensuing encounter.The
five-year-old Akmad succumbed while being rushed to the Maguindanao
Provincial Hospital in nearby Shariff Aguak town, also in Maguindanao. Barangay
folk confirmed to reporters that the drug traffickers fired rifles
first at the approaching raiding teams, causing a brief exchange of
gunfire. There
was total disregard on the presence of children in their hideout. The
suspects did not even bother to think of their safety when they fired at
the approaching policemen and soldiers, said a local official who
requested anonymity.The
source also confirmed that the group is the largest distributor of
shabu in the municipality and nearby barangays in Sultan sa Barongis,
Maguindanao.Witnesses said the suspects scampered away when they ran out of ammunition carrying wounded companions.Local
commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the group
was known for keeping high-powered firearms and explosives.A
senior MILF leader in Rajah Buayan said their mayor, Zamzamin Ampatuan,
had repeatedly urged the suspects to yield and reform for good but
refused and persisted with their illegal activities.The
chief of the hospital in Shariff Aguak, physician Tahir Sulaik, wept
when he saw the injured children brought in by soldiers who immediately
left without a word after turning them over to hospital personnel.