Two gunmen killed in southern RP

Two gunmen killed in southern RP

PHILIPPINES: Two unidentified gunmen, suspected to be involved in the kidnapping of three Indonesians off Sabah last week, were killed in a shootout with government troops in the southern Philippines, a navy spokesman said on Monday.

Capt. Geronimo Malabanan said the fighting erupted on Saturday when navy sailors chased two speedboats off the southern province of Tawi-Tawi, 1,020 kilometers south of Manila.

Malabanan said the two speedboats were spotted heading towards the Philippine-Malaysian border at full speed, prompting navy sailors to launch pursuit.

"Our men fired two warning shots, but instead of stopping, the gunmen returned fire triggering a shootout," he said.

Malabanan said investigators were still determining if the two fatalities were among the group of gunmen who kidnapped three Indonesian crewmen of a tugboat, who were abducted off the Malaysian state of Sabah on March 30.

According to Malaysian authorities, the abductors allegedly fled towards Tawi-Tawi province. --DPA