MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Military commanders in Central Mindanao confirmed Tuesday that Air Force combat aircraft killed six civilians, all women and children in Datu Piang town, Maguindanao province.

Colonel Rolando Nerona, commander of the 64th Infantry Battalion, said the civilians died when Air Force planes fired back at some 30 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters onboard pump boats (motorized outrigger canoes) who had shot at the aircraft as they fled pursuing government forces through the marshlands of Barangay (village) Tee.

Nerona said the Air Force SF-260, two OV10 fighters and one UH-IH helicopter were part of a “persuasion flight” in support of ground operations to flush out MILF fighters commanded by Ameril Ombra Kato in Tee and in Barangay Gawang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan

Kato is one of three rebel commanders being pursued by government troops for attacks on civilian communities in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte last month.

“We are positive that these [dead civilians] are the casualties from Tee, inilabas lang sa highway ng Gawang, Malunggal… palagay ko nadamay lang ang mga ‘yan [they were carried to the highway in Gawang, Malunggal…I think they were caught in the crossfire],” Nerona said.

A report from Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao reaching Camp Crame said the victims were also onboard a pump boat on their way to attend a wedding in Sitio (sub-village) Dagading in Tee when killed in the “aerial bombardment” by the two OV-10s.

The report identified only four of the dead: Daya Manunggal, 48, Aida Mandi, 26 and pregnant, Guiamdulin Daya, 13 and Falda Mandi, 1, all residents of Tee.

Earlier, Brigadier General Jorge Segovia, acting chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command Center, denied reports the civilians were killed when bombs were dropped.

“The weapon used was not a bomb as far we know of, based on the reports, they [Air Force planes] retaliated with machineguns and, I think, a couple of rocket rounds so there were no bombs used in this incident,” Segovia said.

Goltiao’s report also tended to belie an earlier statement by Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno that the civilians may have been used as “human shields” by the fleeing MILF fighters, and those of Nerona and Colonel Marlou Salazar of the 602nd Infantry Battalion, who said the victims were probably relatives of the rebels.

Nerona noted that three days before the incident, all civilians had been evacuated from the areas targeted for military operations.

On the other hand, Salazar said it was “puzzling” that “all [the victims] were women and children, there were no fathers…they could have been families or relatives [of the rebels].”

Segovia, however, said this was all speculation.

“We are not certain at this time [about the victims’ identities], we can only speculate,” Segovia said. “They could have brought some civilians with them or took along some members of the family but that is by far only speculation at this time so we will have to await the result of the investigation from us and from independent bodies.”

Segovia, who had earlier said civilian casualties were “possible,” later said: “While we establish the facts surrounding the death of the civilians, we offer our condolences and humanitarian assistance to their families.”

He added that Nerona has extended assistance to the victims’ families and started an investigation into their deaths.

However, he also said that, judging from the planes’ altitude, the pilots would not have been able to determine if there were civilians on the pump boats before they open fired.

Segovia reiterated AFP chief of staff General Alexander Yano’s orders to minimize the use of artillery and air strikes to when there is an “overwhelming force” of rebels out of respect for the Muslim observance of Ramadan.

He also bewailed that the Moro rebels “are bringing the fight to the civilian communities because they know that any incidents such as the one that happened may bring the government to bad light and put some pressure on us to stop pursuing the criminals.”

Despite the incident, Segovia said the mission to capture Kato and the two other wanted MILF commanders, Abdullah Macapaar and Aleem Sulayman Pangalian, “will not change.”

The incident, he added, would likely lead the AFP to “stress further its rules of engagement” and undertake “operational adjustments” to prevent rebels from entering civilian communities.