Army SF serviceman killed in Cotabato City gun attack

COTABATO CITY --- Gunmen killed a member of the 5thSpecial Forces Battalion and wounded another in an ambush here Monday morning.The fatality, Cpl. Nelson Pamailan, died on the spot from a gunshot wound in the head while his companion, the wounded Private 1stClass Richard Bendanillo, is now in a hospital.They both belong to the 12thSpecial Forces Company, a unit of the 5thSFBN, which is helping the city police secure Cotabato City’s 37thbarangays from violent religious extremists and criminal gangs.Senior Superintendent Rolly Octavio of the Cotabato City police said the two soldiers were attacked by pistol-wielding men while on a motorcycle en route to their command post in Barangay Kalanganan in west of the city from the market.(Also readand and//www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/gunmen-kill-soldier-hurt-another-in-sultan-kudarat and//www.ndbcnews.com.ph/news/gunmen-kill-soldier-hurt-another-in-sultan-kudarat )Octavio said investigators are still trying to identify the culprits and their real motive for perpetrating the atrocity.Talks are spreading around purporting that the ambushers could be members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, known for wanton killings of off-duty soldiers to avenge losses after every encounter with the military in nearby towns in Maguindanao.An off-duty Marine belonging to a unit of the 1stMarine Brigade was killed while another was wounded in a similar attack at Sinsuat Avenue, a busy thoroughfare here, early this year.The incident remained unsolved.