TWO policemen were killed while two others were injured when unidentified armed men attacked the Parang town police station in Sulu on Saturday night, a police official reported yesterday.
The fatalities were identified as Pat. Arjun Putalan and Cpl. Mudar Salamat while the injured were Executive M/Sgt. Hamid Saribbon and Sr. M/Sgt. Harold Nieva.
Capt. Jemar delos Santos, spokesman of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said an undetermined number of suspects opened fire at the police station at around 7 p.m.
“It lasted for a few minutes, after that they escaped. It’s just a strafing incident,” said Delos Santos.
He said cops returned fire but there were no reports of casualties on the side of the attackers.
Putalan and Salamat died upon arrival at the Parang Municipal Hospital, where Saribbon and Nieva are recuperating.
Delos Santos said personnel from the Sulu provincial police, PNP Special Action Force and PNP Regional Mobile Force Battalion 14 were dispatched to the area.
He said the reinforcing troops, together with Parang policemen, “are conducting hot pursuit operations for possible arrest of the perpetrators.”
As to the suspects, Delos Santos said: “As of now, it’s still under investigation. We are not yet certain if they are members of the Abu Sayyaf. There are other lawless elements operating here.”
The Abu Sayyaf Group is blamed for numerous atrocities in the provinces, including attacks on government installations, ambuscades, bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.
PNP chief Archie Gamboa condemned the attack even as he extended the condolences of the entire police force to the bereaved families of the slain policemen.
Gamboa said he has ordered the Bangsamoro regional police “to launch hot pursuit operations, and investigation in coordination with our counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to bring the suspects to justice.”