Attempted Prison Break From the Outside by an Army of 50 Men in Kidapawan, Philippines
Gunmen storm jail in southern Philippines city; 3 killed
KIDAPAWAN, PHILLIPNES: Three people including a local Red Cross volunteer were killed when dozens of armed men tried to free an Islamic militant from jail in the southern Philippines on Monday, February 20, 2012.
About 50 men wearing black military-style fatigues attacked the jail in the trading city of Kidapawan late Sunday, with one launching a rocket-propelled grenade at the main gate.
"The Gunmen fired an RPG but it misfired. The gunmen then opened fire on the jail with assault rifles but they fled when guards shot back.
The gunmen sprayed bystanders with bullets as they retreated and left two bombs to stop security forces from pursuing them.
The fighting lasted only about five minutes but three civilians, including a Red Cross volunteer, were killed. In addition fifteen other civilians were also wounded by bomb shrapnel and bullets.
The gunmen were trying to rescue Datukan Samad, a fighter from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who is awaiting trial on kidnapping charges.
An MILF spokesman denied that the group was involved in the incident claiming that Samad was not a member of the organization.
The 12,000-strong MILF has been waging an armed struggle to create an independent or autonomous Islamic state in the southern Philippines since the 1970s.
In 2009 armed men broke 31 inmates out of a jail on the southern island of Basilan, including at least one MILF figure and several members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group.
