Army intelligence officer slain in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY – An intelligence officer of the 18th Infantry Battalion was shot dead in Tipo-tipo, Basilan on Monday.

Staff Sergeant Dennis Alam died from multiple bullet wounds in various parts of his body and that his firearm was also taken by the perpetrators, Lieutenant Colonel Ivan San Jose, 18th Infantry Battalion commander, said on Tuesday.

“The local police is investigating the case now and we leave everything to the investigators,” San Jose said.

Senior Police Officer 3 Bennaser Saha, an investigator at the Tipo-tipo police, said Alam was on his way to Baguindan proper on board a single motorcycle when attacked in Sitio Bekew.

Basilan Governor Jim Saliman said it was the first time that an Army intelligence officer was attacked in his province and the incident even took place inside an area known to be a lair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

But he said it was not proper to immediately blame the rebels for the incident.