9 KILLED AS GUNMEN ATTACK BARANGAY

Nine people were killed, while 16 others were wounded after unidentified gunmen believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group attacked a remote village in Basilan province on Monday.

Colonel Juvymax Uy, Joint Task Force Basilan commander, said the attack occurred around 5:30 a.m. Monday in the village of Tubigan, Maluso.

Jordan Garcia, 24, said a group of gunmen, brandishing high-powered firearms and clad in fatigue uniforms, arrived on foot before the attack.

More than 100 gunmen gathered in a covered court before opening fire toward a cluster of houses.

Garcia said most of the residents were still asleep when the gunmen arrived. They were awakened by the burst of gunfire and ran for safety.

The gunmen also set on fire some of the houses and the village’s health center.

Barangay Tubigan is set to celebrate its fiesta today.

Garcia said he and his driver were loading sawn lumber onto a truck for transport when the gunmen attacked the village.

He sustained a bullet wound in the leg, while the driver, whose identity was not immediately available, died from a gunshot to the head.

Garcia was among the 11 persons, including two children, who were transferred to a medical facility in Zamboanga City after they received initial treatment in a hospital in Isabela City, Basilan.

One of those killed was a militiaman, who was among the handful of government militia and Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team members who put up a fight against the bandits.

Uy said the bandits withdrew toward the hinterlands upon sensing the arrival of government troops.

The incident Monday was the second attack staged by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Barangay Tubigan, said the military.

Eleven people were killed in the first attack, which took place on February 27, 2010. The bandits also burned some houses then.