Security forces killed three people in an anti-illegal drugs raid on their safehouse in Midsayap town of North Cotabato at dawn on Saturday.
Lt. Col. Glenn Loreto Caballero, commander of the 34th Infantry Battalion, said his men joined the operation in Barangay Kapinpilan based on the request of the local police force and the local office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“While the arresting troops were approaching the house of the target, they were fired upon by the armed suspects that prompted the troops to return fire that ensued to a thirty minute firefight,” said Caballero.
During the clearing operation, Caballero said policemen and soldiers recovered the cadavers of three suspects and the high-powered firearms that were used in the gun battle with government forces.