A retired Army soldier and two others were killed in an ambush that also wounded two other companions in Salunayan village in Midsayap town, Cotabato province, around 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
Lt. Col. Oliver Pauya, chief of Midsayap police station, identified the fatalities as Udin Indaila Dalgan, 31, an escort and a resident of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, and Madron Sumlay Endaila Jr., 48, a retired member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from Barangay Kapinpilan, Kadayanang town in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Also killed was Rahib Mamental Wahab, 35, a tricycle driver from Kadayangan who was caught in the crossfire during the ambush.
Pauya stated that the primary target of the attack appeared to be the retired soldier.
Authorities believe that retaliation may have been the motive behind the attack.
‘There was no other possible target in the attack except for the retired soldier, possibly because of his previous work in Army intelligence,’ Pauya said.
Surviving the attack were the victim’s wife, Saida Felmin Endaila, a town councilor of Kadayangan, and Lani Endaila Yusop, 20, also a resident of the same place.
According to Pauya, the four victims were aboard a black Toyota Fortuner with plate number NDC 3579 when they were ambushed by suspects riding in a gray minivan.
‘There were three suspects inside the minivan who positioned themselves in the area just minutes before the victims passed along the highway,’ Pauya said.
Pursuit operations are ongoing to locate and apprehend the suspects.
Pauya has already ordered a deeper investigation to ensure justice is served for the victims./coa