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Two anti-drug agents were killed and two others wounded in an ambush by unidentified armed men in the southern Philippines Monday, police said.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency agents were on their way to serve a warrant for a known drug trafficker near the town of Sultan Kudarat on the troubled island of Mindanao when the gunmen attacked their vehicle, police said.
Intelligence officer Pablo Jala and an undercover agent were killed on the spot, while two others were wounded and taken to hospital, agency spokesman Derrick Carreon told AFP in Manila.
"They were attacked by heavily armed lawless elements. We are conducting an investigation to look into any possible security leaks," Carreon said.
Regional police spokesman Superintendent Danilo Bacas said the operation may have been sabotaged by a team member. He did not elaborate, only saying that one other person who was with the group remained missing.
"There’s an ongoing pursuit operation to capture the perpetrators," Bacas said.
"We are still determining the group behind the attack but we are looking into possible involvement of some rebels operating in the area," he said.
Carreon said he could neither confirm nor deny that a team member was missing.
Separatist rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as well as other Muslim armed groups operate in the area where the attack occurred, police said. Rogue MILF elements are known to operate with local crime gangs involved in drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom to fund the insurgency, military intelligence officials say.
