Town councilor in Maguindanao survives ambush

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao—Unidentified gunmen ambushed on Friday a councilor of South Upi town, Maguindanao, the Army said.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Pondanera, commander of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion said councilor Basit Kamid was on board a vehicle with his armed escorts when they were fired upon near the Lamud Elementary School in the village of Lamud, South Upi.

A five-minute clash ensued as Kamid’s armed escorts were able to exchange gunfires before the undetermined number of assailants fled.

“The town councilor escaped unhurt,” said Pondanera.

“He was safe, and nobody in his group was hurt,” Pondanera said in a report to the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based here.

Initial investigation pointed to the possibility the ambush was due to a long standing land conflict in the area that the local government was trying to address to prevent bloodshed.

The ambush against Kamid came five days after gunmen belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) ambushed a relief convoy that included South Upi Mayor Reynalbert Insular, killing one and injuring three others.

Insular came from the village of Itaw to distribute relief goods to mostly Teduray families who fled their homes as BIFF gunmen attacked their village on Dec. 30, burning 13 houses.

CFC