2 die, 31 flee as armed men storm Basilan jail

A police report said dozens of suspected militants stormed a jail in the volatile southern Philippines, freeing 31 inmates in a predawn Sunday attack that sparked a gun battle in which two people were killed. According to a report from the Basilan Provincial Police Office, 30 armed men attacked the jail in Isabela City at 1:45 a.m., tearing down the jail's walls and allowing 31 inmates to escape. The report said that two were killed - a jail guard and one of the attackers - in a clash during the incident.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV A dzBB report said that a 10-minute hostilities occurred between the armed men (suspected to be from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)'s 114th base command) and the jail guards. Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales Jr. rushed to the site and was scheduled to hold a meeting with provincial police and military officials, the report added. Among those who escaped were MILF commander Dan Laksaw and Kamsa Limaya based in Al-Barka town in Basilan, the report said. Checkpoints were placed in the area to catch the suspects and inmates, who fled after the jailbreak. Police said that Laksaw ang Limaya were “high-profile" inmates who are reportedly MILF members under 114th base command in Gunata in Al-Barka town in Basilan. "Joint pursuit efforts by the military and the PNP are ongoing," said Basilan vice Governor Rasheed Sakalahul, adding that "We still don't know how the gunmen were able to spring the inmates out of their cells. An investigation on the matter is underway." - with a report from Carmela Lapena and Al Jacinto/LBG, GMANews.TV