CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Authorities recovered two high-powered firearms during separate raids in a town in this province Friday.
A report from this camp said joint Army and police forces seized one US-made M-16 rifle from the house of Mama Mamantal; and another US-made M2 Carbine rifle from the residence of Leng Mamantal, both of Baranagy Pandi, Datu Salibo town.
Both suspects were not in their homes when the raiding team arrived.
The Mamantals are believed to be supporters of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), an armed group under close watch by the military.
Lauding the raiding team, Major Gen. Arnel dela Vega, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, stressed that stringent law enforcement operations would continue against lawless elements under martial law in Mindanao.
A day earlier, the military recovered an M-14 rifle from the house of Tato Silongan in Datu Piang town, along with suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.
Specifically, dela Vega commended troops from the Army’s 57th and 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalions for continuously ensuring illegal guns are not used for crimes and violence in Maguindanao. (PNA)
