Firearms licences suspended after spate of civillian shootings, ops against ISIS in Mindanao

The Philippine National Police chief has issued a verbal order suspending firearms-carry licences.

MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE: The Philippine police have suspended the public's licences to carry firearms in some southern provinces following recent fatal ambushes and ongoing operations against Daesh-aligned local groups.

Philippine National Police chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. issued a verbal order suspending the licences in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and the Special Geographic Areas (SGA) of North Cotabato from 5pm on Feb 18, according to a memo by the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) published online.

The SGA comprises 63 villages in six North Cotabato towns that voted yes to inclusion in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in 2019.

A vice-mayor and his companions were shot dead while Lanao del Sur's governor and his party were ambushed recently. Two minors were also killed in separate shootings.

Operations are underway against the pro-Daesh Maute Group which were tagged in a recent ambush that killed a Marine sergeant and blamed for the 2017 Marawi city siege.

Operations are also ongoing against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters terror group, whose subleader and his companion were killed in a shootout on Saturday.