At least 158 inmates escape after armed men storm jail in S. Philippines

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At least 158 inmates escaped when gunmen stormed a jail south of the Philippines in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, killing one guard.

The attack, suspected to be carried out by Muslim rebels, took place at the North Cotabato District Jail near the city of Kidapawan, some 950 kilometers south of the capital Manila – a region notorious for its separatist insurgency, criminal gangs, and groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIL.

Prison officials (L) inspect the perimeter fence of the district jail, from where at least 158 inmates escaped, in the town of Kidapawan on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on January 4, 2017, as other inmates (R) remain in the prison compound. /CFP Photo

This is by far the biggest prison escape the city has witnessed in the past decade.

More than 100 armed men opened fire at the jail guards around 1:00 local time, and a two-hour firefight ensued.

The jail, a shabby former school building, housed 1,511 inmates, authorities said, adding that over 158 inmates managed to flee. A subsequent manhunt operation by security forces throughout Wednesday Morning led to the recapture of four prisoners and the death of up to six others.

Initial reports suggested that the assailants are part of a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest rebel group.

Authorities believe the attack took place with the aim of freeing Islamic convicts incarcerated in the jail.

"It's to rescue their comrades under our custody. It is a rescue operation," jail warden Peter John Bonggat told local ABS-CBN television.

"The (inmates) took chances because of the volume of fire... they used their bedding, piled them on top of each other to escape," he added.

Armed police stand guard at the gates of the district jail, from where at least 158 inmates escaped, in the town of Kidapawan, in southern Philippine island of Mindanao on January 4, 2017. /CFP Photo

AFP quoted MILF spokesman Von al-Haq as saying that the group did not know who the attackers were and was contacting its members to get more information.

The MILF, with about 10,000 armed followers, signed a peace deal with the government of former President Benigno Aquino III in 2014, ending a push for independence, which started in the 1970s.

However, some breakaway groups have refused to lay down their arms, and clashes still occur with security forces in the turbulent south.

The southern region of Mindanao is the homeland of the Muslim minority in the predominantly Catholic country.

It is estimated that at least 100,000 people have been killed over four decades of fighting in the south.

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