Jail break in Philippines

[Okeefenokee]

More Than 150 Inmates Escape After Attack On Jail In Philippines

English-language newspaper The Philippine Star reported that the strike was carefully planned:

• "Superintendent Peter Bungat, provincial jail warden, said the attack began with a power outage that plunged the facility into darkness, followed by heavy gunfire aimed at the buildings inside its fenced compound.
  "Bungat said one of his subordinates, Jail Officer 1 Hexel Rey Desibo, was killed in the ensuing encounter with the gunmen who attacked from the rear of the jail compound. 'It was not a jailbreak. It was a planned rescue of certain detainees,' he said."

The BBC noted that the 100 or so attackers were "armed with rocket propelled grenades and snipers' rifles," and far outnumbered the jail staff of around 20 people. The broadcaster added:

• "In the chaos following the attack, 158 prisoners were able to put a ladder against a back wall and escape. Many of the 1500 inmates at the jail are linked to the various Islamic insurgent group in Mindanao. The authorities are already blaming the attack on the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a hard-line faction which has refused to join the protracted peace talks with the central government."

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... hilippines