11 TROOPERS KILLED IN CLASH VS ABUS
ZAMBOANGA CITY—THE soldiers stationed in the province of Sulu have lately found themselves fighting on two different fronts: One calls for their help in enforcing quarantine measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the other keeping them engaged with a more familiar enemy: the Abu Sayyaf.
The three Army brigades composed of about 3,000 soldiers based in Sulu are used to going on missions against the bandit group, until a national health emergency was declared in March and troops were enlisted to also help contain the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Half of the soldiers on the island were thus reassigned to implement the quarantine and curfew in the province, which so far has recorded two suspected COVID-19 patients who died before they could be tested.
The other half continued the operation against the Abu Sayyaf, who on Friday afternoon dealt a major blow to the military.
Eleven troopers died and 14 others were wounded in a clash with around 40 Abu Sayyaf fighters around 3 p.m. in Sitio Lubong at the hinterland village of Danag, Patikul town.
The casualties, all members of the 21st Infantry Brigade based in Patikul, were then in pursuit of top Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron and his close aide Hatib Sawadjaan, according to Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom).
‘Wrong time, wrong place’
The troopers encountered the bandits in a known lair of Sahiron called the Sinumaan complex, Sobejana said.
“[They] were at a wrong time and the wrong place as they were on low ground, maneuvering toward the high ground [where] the enemy was already ... waiting,” he said. “So, by posturing, our troops were at a disadvantage.”
“Our soldiers had to maneuver toward a vantage position. Unfortunately, the enemy was able to close in on some of them, hence they were killed in action,” said the commander, who flew to Sulu on Saturday. “We always [had the] upper hand.”
The “heavy encounter” saw both sides positioned “close to each other,’’ Sobejana said, adding that the unit led by Lt. Rogelio Deligero Jr. was the hardest hit.
When Deligero’s body was recovered, it bore signs that the bandits tried to behead him, he added.
Three other slain soldiers were also hacked, “their faces [mutilated] beyond recognition.”
Sobejana said this was the single largest casualty count suffered by the Westmincom since it stepped up the offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in mid-2019.
Government troops also inflicted casualties on the bandits based on the bloodstains found at the encounter site, he said.
Flags at half-staff
Despite the setback, Sobejana said the troops in Sulu remained “well motivated” and that Westmincom would “sustain its security operations while taking the lead in the strict enforcement of the quarantine in Mindanao.”
The slain soldiers, he said, “paid the ultimate sacrifice” to help “ensure the safety and security of the community against the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group).”
Malacañang on Saturday condemned the killings as it hailed the slain soldiers.
“The enemies of the State choose no date and occasion. They strike even during this time of great pandemic,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. “But let this serve as a warning to all: Our authorities remain ready and prepared to crush the enemies of the government and quell any armed attack amid the existing state of calamity and public health emergency.”
As the dead and wounded soldiers were transfered from Sulu to Zamboanga City on Saturday, the Philippine flag in military camps across the country were ordered flown at half-staff in tribute to the fallen soldiers.
In a statement, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said the soldiers were killed at a time when they were also being called to the front lines in the battle against the coronavirus.
“While the entire nation is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, our troopers are in the forefront ... to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease on the one hand, while on the other they are battling this terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group,” he said.
Army Chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the sacrifices of the 11 soldiers “will inspire us to strengthen our resolve until we are free from terrorism.”
“This setback will not deter us from performing our duty to serve the Filipino people and secure our land.” Gapay said.