PAGADIAN CITY – Military troops recovered 11 firearms and one grenade in simultaneous law enforcement operations in three areas of the nearby province of Lanao del Sur, officials said Wednesday.
Capt. Benjie Jimenez, information officer of the Army’s First Infantry Division, said the firearms and grenade were recovered in the towns of Pualas and Lumbatan and Marawi City.
Recovered were: caliber 5.56-mm M4 rifle, one; caliber 7.62-mm M14 rifles, two; caliber .30 M1 Garand rifles, two; caliber 5.56-mm M16 rifle, one; caliber 5.56-mm M653 rifle, one; M-203 grenade launcher, one; caliber .45 pistols, three; and, M65 type hand grenade, one.
Also recovered were assorted ammunition and magazines, and five units of unlicensed handheld radio sets.
Jimenez said the operations was carried out by the Joint Task Force Ranao, 55th Infantry Battalion, and the 63rd Infantry Battalion after receiving of reports from concerned citizens about the presences of armed civilians in the three areas.
Maj. Gen. Roseller Murillo, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, lauded the troops for the successful operations. He said it will contribute to the smooth recovery and rehabilitation of Lanao del Sur after the Marawi siege.
On March 16, residents of Piagapo, Lanao del Sur surrendered 43 high powered firearms to the Army’s 1st Infantry Division which covers the entire Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao provinces and Misamis Occidental. (PNA)
