AFP: 7 armed persons killed in police-military operation in Tugunan, SGA

Seven armed individuals were killed during a joint police-military law enforcement operation in Tugunan, Special Geographic Area on September 19, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday.

"The operation resulted in an exchange of gunfire, leaving seven armed individuals dead while five high-powered firearms were recovered from the area," AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said at a press briefing.

Padilla said the operation was conducted in Barangay Balong to serve an arrest warrant against an individual facing carjacking and homicide charges.

Some 350 residents, Padilla said, were temporarily evacuated from the area as a result of the operation.

The AFP said government agencies and local officials continued to coordinate to ensure the safety of affected residents and provide them with necessary assistance.

"When an operation happens in a populated area, security does not end when the exchange of fire ends," Padilla said.

"Ang tinitignan po namin dito (What we are looking at), how this responsibility will look like? We look after our civilians who may have been affected in these communities," she said. — VDV, GMA News