3 dead as ex-Abu Sayyaf man ran amok inside Army detachment; suspect killed – police

Basilan map. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur — A former Abu Sayyaf bandit who had surrendered to the military ran amok inside an Army detachment in Basilan on Tuesday afternoon, killing a soldier and two civilians.

A police report said Nur Jaari Ismael, 27, grabbed the firearm of Private First Class Dave Lagoy, shot the soldier in the chest and then fired indiscriminately, hitting two civilians who were identified as Alsaidi Abbilul, 28, and Kannami Burung Jannatul, 32.

The incident happened at around 1:30 p.m. on October 11 inside a detachment of the Army’s 64th Infantry Battalion in Kaum Pamatsaken village, Sumisip town, Basilan.

Although Ismael was able to flee after shooting his three victims, he was later killed in Barangay Look Bait during a hot pursuit operation by soldiers.

Sumisip Police chief Lt. Col. Ajid Manalumpong told the Inquirer that Ismael had been a mainstay in the said detachment after his surrender.

“We don’t have records of his surrender, but we were informed that he was included in this E-Clip program and he applied to be a member of the Army and he was their ‘striker’,” Manalumpong said.

E-CLIP, or the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, is a government program that helps former rebels return to mainstream society.

For surrendered bandits like Ismael, they are catered to by the Program Against Violent Extremism for Peace, which has similar features as E-Clip.

Manalumpong said Ismael, a native of Barangay Ettub Ettub in Sumisip, was reportedly frustrated over his long wait for the benefits due him.

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