Kadayangan: Police and military authorities are hunting down a group of gunmen who killed two and wounded seven others in a gun attack Tuesday morning in the Special Geographic Area of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (SGA-BARMM) in Cotabato province.
According to Philippines News Agency, Captain Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), stated that members of the Kadayangan Municipal Station and elements of the Army's 33rd Infantry Battalion are pursuing the attackers in the SGA-BARMM town of Kadayangan. The municipality of Kadayangan, previously part of Midsayap town in Cotabato province, is one of eight towns comprising 63 barangays within the SGA-BARMM, established through a two-phase 2019 plebiscite.
Salanguit reported that the incident occurred at 8:40 a.m. in Barangay Malingao, Kadayangan. He identified the fatalities as Musalik Balang, 45, and Haron Boliongon, 35, both residents of Purok 4, Barangay Malingao. The attack also left seven others wounded, including Romeo Lombo, a resident of Barangay Glad, Midsayap, Cotabato, and six other unidentified civilians who are currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Midsayap.
Pursuit operations are ongoing as authorities work to gather more information regarding the identities and motives of the attackers. Initial information suggests that the armed attack could be related to a personal grudge involving the victims and perpetrators.
