Police commandos killed a wanted man and his companion in a gunbattle in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay Saturday.
Police Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba, director of the Special Action Force, said suspect Jomar Aukasa was connected to the Abu Sayyaf Group as he facilitates kidnappings in Zamboanga Peninsula.
Kidnap victims would be later transported to either Basilan or Sulu.
Aukasa, who was facing four counts of murder and a case of robbery, was killed along with a certain “Butchoy” during a raid in his lair in Barangay Sisay.
“The neutralization of Aukasa culminated eight months of extensive manhunt operation that began on March 17 this year under Case Operational Plan “Assassin.”
SAF commandos recovered a rifle and handgun from the slain suspects.
The recovered handgun, according to Balba, was the service firearm of a policeman in Tungawan when he escaped in 2018.
The gun was also used in the shooting of a policeman several months ago. The cop survived the attack.