CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY\u2014The Presidential Security Group (PSG) maintained on Thursday that its men were indeed ambushed earlier this week in southern Marawi city, refuting a claim by a Moro youth group that they made up the story to cover up a potentially embarrassing \u201caccidental\u201d firing of a weapon.<\/p>\n\n
Drieza Lininding, vice chair of the Bangsamoro National\u00a0 Movement for Peace and Development, said earlier that he had gathered interviews and evidence to show that the incident was apparently caused by a soldier in the security convoy accidentally setting off his weapon.<\/p>\n\n
Six were hurt in the incident, including an advance party of the PSG who were to secure the area ahead of President Duterte\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n\n
Lininding said they asked the residents living near the site of the supposed attack who told them there was no ambush that\u00a0 took place in Barangay Matampay in Marawi.<\/p>\n\n
The wounded soldiers insisted they were waylaid, but could not immediately say who was behind the attack.<\/p>\n\n
Government troops were however fighting the Maute group in Butig, Lanao del Sur at the time, although it was not clear whether the incidents were connected.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt was so sudden. Something exploded behind us, we don\u2019t know what it\u00a0 was,\u201d said Cpl. Vincent Paniza, one of the PSG men who was wounded.<\/p>\n\n
He said he heard gunshots, but stressed he was not able to fire back as he was already wounded at the time.<\/p>\n\n
Private First Class James Gonzales said their convoy came from Iligan City\u00a0 en route to Marawi.\u00a0 He was in the lead vehicle, and when it negotiated a steep part of the road, they heard something went off.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThere was an explosion on the side of the road, and after that, they\u00a0 (armed men) fired at us. We returned fire,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n\n
Gonzales said the soldier beside him was also wounded but claimed he didn\u2019t see who shot them. He also confirmed that it was an improvised bomb that exploded.<\/p>\n\n
President Duterte visited the wounded soldiers and the PSG team here on Wednesday and gave them medals for taking fire while on duty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Presidential Security Group (PSG) maintained on Thursday that its men were indeed ambushed earlier this week in southern Marawi city, refuting a claim by a Moro youth group that they made up the story to cover up a potentially embarrassing \u201caccidental\u201d firing of a weapon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":849758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,46],"tags":[186175],"byline":[170258],"source":[206078],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"class_list":["post-849959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-stories","category-regions-latest-stories","tag-maute-gang","byline-jigger-jerusalem","source-philippine-daily-inquirer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n