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2 Killed, 7 Wounded in Shoot-out in Philippines
Two people were killed, seven others wounded, when alleged rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) figured in a shoot-out with an army sergeant in north Mindanao Sunday night, Philippine News Agency (PNA) said Monday.
Local police chief Bernardo Vasquez was quoted as saying that the dead and wounded were all local residents. The shoot-out occurred after 7:00 p.m. Sunday when local army sergeant Valentin Caluton went home from a night duty, Vasquez added.
Initial investigation disclosed that Caluton was attacked by six unidentified "Maranaos" or local tribesmen who reportedly mauled him while walking along a street in Cagayan De Oro city, Misamis Oriental province in north Mindanao.
Police said they could not ascertain the owner of the pistol but were certain that the firearm was fired from an unknown gunman. Investigators are not discounting reports about the possible involvement of MILF rebels in the shoot-out since some witnesses alleged that "Maranaos" are actually armed with high caliber firearms such as M-16 and M-14 rifles.
This came after intelligence reports that a number of MILF rebels who abandoned their camps in the Lanao provinces have taken refuge with "Maranao" relatives in Cagayan de Oro, the PNA said.
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