Sulu No. 2 most wanted slain in clash

(Photo courtesy of 11ID)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A notorious criminal was killed while four soldiers were wounded in a clash during an operation in the hinterlands of Sulu, the military said Sunday.

Col. Leonardo Peña, the Army's 11th Infantry Division commander, identified the fatality as Alganer Dahim, alias "Wangbu," the second most wanted person in Sulu.

Peña said Dahim was slain in a clash with joint military, police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agents in Barangay Kapok Punggol, Maimbung on Saturday.

"Our troops remain constantly vigilant, and we will not allow unlawful disturbances affecting the lives of the people of Sulu," Peña said in a statement.

The four wounded soldiers belong to the Army's 41st Infantry Battalion. They sustained grenade shrapnel wounds and were brought to Camp Bautista Station Hospital in capital Jolo.

Peña said Dahim was involved in large-scale illegal drug operations in the municipalities of Parang, Indanan and Maimbung.

He was also linked to the May 2009 killing of then-Sulu police director Col. Julasirim Kasim in Maimbung and the murder of three Amil family members in Barangay Labah of the same municipality several years ago.

The troops recovered ammunition and other war materiel from the clash site. (PNA)

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