1 soldier killed, 15 rebels surrender

Carmela Fonbuena

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A sniper kills a soldier and another fire breaks out in Zamboanga City

HUNGRY REBELS. The 15 MNLF members inside the Zamboanga City Police Office. Photo by Rappler/LeAnne Jazul

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — One soldier was killed and another fire broke out on Thursday, September 19, as clashes renewed between government troops and members of the Moro National Liberation Front on the 11th day of the siege.

A total of 15  members of the MNLF surrendered  in Barangay Sta Catalina, the same site of fresh clashes, according to Chief Supt Felipe Rojas Jr, deputy police director for operations of the regional police. Those who surrendered were brought to the barangay hall of Sta Catalina, Rojas said.

Western Mindanao Command spokesman Col Rodrigo Gregorio confirmed it. He said the MNLF members surrendered at 6:30 am to units of the police and military. 

“The way I look at it, our calibrated military response is paying off. They are constricted and they have no choice. They either fight it out or surrender,” said Gregorio.

“Their surrender is an indication na nahihirapan na sila,” he added. Watch the interview below:

“The surrenderees turned over 3 M16 rifles, 1 garand rifle, and 1 shotgun,” according to a military situation report.

But we continued to hear gunshots in Sta Catalina at mid-morning of Thursday.

It was a sniper that killed the soldier at 5 am in the same barangay, according to Gregorio. 

A fire broke out in the same barangay at around 10 am.

ONE AFTER THE OTHER. Smoke rises above Brgy. Rio Hondo in Zamboanga City as another fire engulfs Brgy. Sta. Catalina. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler

Zamboanga City is slowly trying to regain normalcy. Flights are expected to resume but the first flight of Cebu Pacific was a few minutes delayed, arriving at 10:06 am.

It also rained early Thursday morning. —with reports from Richard Falcatan and Karlos Manlupig/Rappler.com

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