‘Armed lawless group’ leader, follower killed in Maguindanao, says military

Maguindanao map

MANILA, Philippines — A leader of what authorities call an “armed lawless group” and one of his followers were killed during a joint military and police operation in Maguindanao, the Philippine Army reported on Friday.

Army Major Melchor Gonzaludo, commanding officer of the 5th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-5), identified the slain suspects as Norodin Guimad, believed to be the leader of an armed lawless group, and Puti Sumanday, one of his followers, after figuring in an hour-long firefight with the joint police and military forces in Barangay Bugasan Sur, Matanog town.

Gonzaludo also said that Guimad has a standing warrant of arrest for murder and frustrated murder.

“Combined troops of MBLT-5 together with Matanog MPS (Municipal Police Station) served the warrant of arrest for the case of frustrated murder with criminal case No. 2022-43025 against Guimad,” Gonzaludo said in a statement.

“[H]owever, instead of surrendering properly to the authorities, the operating team was fired by more or less ten (10) armed followers of the suspect that resulted in almost one (1) hour firefight,” he added.

During the conduct clearing operations, authorities recovered the remains of Guimad  and Sumanday, along with an M16 rifle, and one Caliber 45 pistol, drug paraphernalia, and other shreds of evidence.

RELATED STORY:
5 members of lawless armed group killed in Maguindanao, AFP reports 

JPV