Fighting erupts as CIDG, Army serve search warrants against Maguindanao town mayor

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 26): Fighting erupts as CIDG, Army serve search warrants against Maguindanao town mayor

AMPATUAN, Maguindanao -- Firefight erupted early Thursday in the mountain areas of Ampatuan, Maguindanao while government forces were serving search warrants against a town mayor and several others, police and military officials said.

Superintendent Jimmy Daza, chief of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-ARMM), joint police and military forces were serving warrants of arrest against suspected illegal drug personalities in the mountains of Barangay Saniag, Amptauan in Maguindanao.

"The operation is still on-going," Daza said in a phone interview.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao police provincial director said that included in the search warrant is Mayor Rasul Sangki of Ampatuan, Maguindanao who was named by President Duterte in August last year as among the narco-politicians in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Sangki, along with other local executives, denied he is into illegal drugs.

At least four armed men were killed and three others injured when they resisted the serving of search warrants issued by a local court.

The Army's 6th Infantry Division provided air support through its Huey helicopters and MG-520 attack helicopters to ground troops.

Several families from the Indigenous Peoples have fled to safer grounds, disaster officials said.
Daza vowed to provide more details of the anti-drug operation once report is completed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=958369