1 hurt in Maguindanao town ambush

COTABATO CITY, Philippines - A Moro trader was wounded in an ambush Wednesday by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Maguindanao’s restive Datu Saudi town.

Senior Inspector Reggie Abellera, chief of the Datu Saudi municipal police, said the victim, Sahid Ambison, was wounded in his arm when his motorcycle-riding attackers shot him with pistols while he was on his way, on foot, to a village at Barangay Salbu in the same town.

Ambison was hit twice in his arm.

Ambison, who is operating a small agricultural trading establishment in Datu Piang town, also in Maguindanao, ran towards houses near the spot where he was attacked.

The shots the suspects fire triggered a commotion, prompting the gunmen to leave the scene riding separate motorcycles.

Abellera said Ambison is convinced the gunmen could be “hired killers,” enlisted by either a business rival or by another clan his family is at odds with. - John Unson