In a brazen daylight assault, Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak narrowly escaped an assassination attempt involving military-grade weaponry in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao del Sur. The attack occurred at approximately 6:00 AM on Sunday as the mayor’s convoy was traveling through the region.
Closed-circuit television footage captured the meticulously planned ambush, showing two assailants emerging from a white van. One attacker deployed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher while the second operative provided covering fire with automatic weapons. The RPG struck the mayor’s black SUV, which subsequently accelerated from the scene despite sustaining significant damage.
Miraculously, Mayor Ampatuan emerged physically unharmed from the attack, though two members of his security detail sustained injuries during the exchange of fire. Philippine National Police forces immediately initiated pursuit operations, resulting in the neutralization of three out of four suspected perpetrators.
During a subsequent press conference, Mayor Ampatuan expressed astonishment at the sophistication of the weaponry employed, noting that RPGs typically fall outside the arsenal of ordinary criminals. ‘This was clearly a professionally executed operation,’ the mayor stated, adding that he would defer to national law enforcement authorities to determine the identity and motives behind the attack.
The incident highlights the ongoing security challenges in the southern Philippines, where political violence remains a persistent concern despite government efforts to stabilize the region.