PIKIT, North Cotabato – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vowed to help authorities pursue the armed group responsible for the killing of four family members and wounding of four others in a remote village here Friday.
In an interview, Pikit police chief Police Capt. Mautin Pangandigan said the MILF 108th Brigade Base Command has expressed intention to help speed up the capture of the perpetrators behind the crime.
Pangandigan said they already have the identities of the suspects based on the information provided by a survivor, but declined to name them in public as not to jeopardize ongoing pursuit operations.
“The MILF assistance is a huge help to track down the suspects now on the run to evade authorities,” he said.
Four armed men came to Sitio Tugunan, Barangay Lagunde, and fired at the house of the victims Friday noon.
Killed on the spot were Sittie Alipolo Abdullah, 58; Zenaida Abdullah Mustapha, 36; Laga Abdullah 34; and a three-year-old toddler.
Those injured who have been confined at a hospital were Asria Abdulrajak Abdullah, 30, and three minors aged 13, 8, and 7.
Police investigators said “retaliation” was the primary motive in the attack, linked to a recent police anti-drug operation in the village that resulted in the confiscation of illegal drugs.
Pangandigan said a member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) who owns the residence that was attacked, was among those who accompanied the police and the barangay captain in the anti-drug operation. (PNA)
