CHR probes Abu Sayyaf killings of 3 soldiers

MANILA: The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it is investigating the Abu Sayyaf terror group for the ambush and killing of three soldiers on the island province of Basilan last week.

This was revealed by Jacqueline De Guia who condemned the ambush of the soldiers who were on their way to a hill in Al Barka, Basilan to replace their fellow soldiers manning an Army detachment.

The atack killed Army corporal Mike Repoponyo and Private first class Jhon Philip Pamplona, and Jerwin Capoy.

Two of them were shot in the head while the other died of a bullet wound in the abdomen.

“The CHR continues to strongly denounce any arbitrary atack that brazenly violates the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and tramples the right to life,” De Guia said.

“In this context of armed hostilities disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force is prohibited under the IHL,” she said.

De Guia added: “Belligerent armed groups and rouge elements that commit human rights abuses must be pursued and held accountable to ensure justice and to uphold the rule of law.”

According to the military’s Western Mindanao Command, the Abu Sayyaf ambushers were led by a certain Abbas Jankatan who fled towards Tipo Tipo town where he is pursued by soldiers.

The Abu Sayyaf has gained notoriety through a spate of kidnapping for ransom since the early 2000 of Filipino and foreign hostages.

Most oten the hostages were beheaded by the terrorists because they failed to pay the ransom they demanded.

The Abu Sayyaf was declared a terror group when they pledged allegiance to the Daesh in the Middle East.

The Abu Sayyaf were also involved in the siege of Marawi, the capital city of Lanao del Sur on May 23, 2017. It was a five-month-long siege that only ended in October, that same year.

The Daesh reportedly ordered the Abu Sayyaf to lay siege and capture Marawi City to be used as the staging area for their expansion programme in Asia.