Saturday, November 11, 2006

Gunmen Kill Southern Philippine Mayor

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (Juan Magtanggol / 11 Nov) - Motorcycle gunmen killed a town mayor in a daring broad daylight attack Saturday on the restive southern Philippine region, police and military said.

Mayor George Yabes, of Maitum town in Sarangani province, was shot at around 12.45 p.m. just in front of the family store, said a regional army commander Maj. Gen. Ernesto Boac.

"He was shot three times in the body with .45-caliber pistols. Initial military reports suggested the attack could be politically motivated," he told the Mindanao Examiner without elaborating.

Boac said troops were helping the local police force track down the assailants. "There is an ongoing manhunt. Police and military forces are tracking down the killers," he said.

Police said the gunmen escaped on board motorcycles after the shooting. The politician, police said, had escaped an assassination attempt by gunmen in May.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the killing, but the province is also a known lair of Abu Sayyaf militants and communist insurgents blamed by authorities in previous attacks on government and military targets. (Mindanao Examiner)

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