2 soldiers die, 5 others wounded as another soldier fired at them in Lanao del Sur

ILIGAN CITY—-Two soldiers were killed while five others were wounded after another soldier allegedly fired upon them on Tuesday while they were hunting down the suspected killers of a police officer.

Army officers were contacted but have not responded to questions about the incident. The Inquirer, however, was able to interview several soldiers who refused to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter.

The interviewed soldiers said the incident happened on Tuesday morning in Sitio Banisilan, Barangay Bandaraingud, Pagayawan town in Lanao del Sur.

A team of soldiers from the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion were doing clearing operation in relation to the ambush of a police officer on Monday evening in the same area, when a certain Corporal Nao Mohammad Lassam fired at them.

Lassam is commander of a detachment of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) located some 500 meters from the ambush site.

Killed on the spot were Second Lieutenant Mark Linne Banua and Sergeant Jhanjihan Carumba.

“He (Cpl. Lassam) served as guide to the troops because he knows the terrain,” an Army source said.

The five wounded soldiers are confined in a medical facility of the Armed Forces.