GOVERNMENT troops arrested 17 “lawless elements” and seized six rifles and two improvised bombs in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao del Sur last Monday morning.
Troops from the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion and local policemen arrested the 17 during a law enforcement operation in Barangay Kapinpilan at around 5:30 a.m., the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said last Monday night.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of two improvised explosive devices.
A later encounter between soldiers and lawless elements in the area resulted in the recovery of four M14 rifles and two M16 rifles, the 6th ID also said.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, 6th ID spokesman, said the successful operations prevented possible attacks by lawless elements.
Brig. Gen. Edgard Catu, commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade, said these operations show the determination of government troops to eliminate threats to security in Maguindanao del Sur.
