August 3, 2012, The Philippine Star, 4 killed, 5 wounded in Sulu ambush,

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) - A town police commander, two combat police force and a civilian were killed while five others were wounded in an ambush yesterday in Sulu, according to security officials today.

The ambush occurred Thursday afternoon while elements of the local police and Special Action Force (SAF), the combat troopers of Philippine National Police (PNP), were providing security to the convoy of Mayor Firhana Mohammad of Omar town and some civilians.

Sulu police director Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra said the undetermined number of heavily armed men attacked the security convoy of the mayor about 2:30 p.m. at Barangay Lahing-Lahing, Omar town, killing initially two SAF members on the spot while wounding seven others, including Omar town police chief Nasiruddin Jailani, and SAF member Neptalie Roco, and five civilians.

"The security convoy managed to engage and repelled their attackers," Freyra said.

Those wounded were rushed to the Sulu provincial hospital for treatment but Police Inspector Jailani and a wounded civilian identified as Masudi Abdurahim died later.

The police believed that the ambushers were also inflicted with undetermined number of casualties as 15 minutes of firefight ensued following the ambush.

The police were investigating to determine the identity of the group that staged the ambush and to ascertain if the incident was politically related since the target of the ambush was the local town mayor.