ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Abu Sayyaf bandits who killed six soldiers in an ambush in Sulu were equipped with the same weapons that the soldiers had, according to some of the soldiers who were caught in but survived the ambush.

?They were fully armed. Actually, they also have the same type of weapons that we have,? said the wounded Second Lieutenant Felix Serapio, executive officer of the 64th Reconnaissance Company.

Serapio?s group was the second to enter a community in Barangay (village) Siyunugan in Indanan, Sulu to clear the area of Sayyaf gunmen.

?They used tracer bullets as we did. They even managed to render our V-150 [armored vehicle] immobile,? he said.

?They were in black panther uniforms, similar to the ones worn by Rangers,? he added.

Deserted houses

Serapio?s group entered Siyunugan after a lead group headed by Second Lieutenant Ryan Frivaldo.

?Our mission in Siyunugan was to clear the area. The police?s Special Action Forces were to clear the houses because we could not just enter the houses. We have no authority to do that,? Serapio said.

The soldiers were entering Siyunugan, backed by a V-150 armored vehicle, when one of them, Staff Sgt. Hector Pizon, noticed that the houses were deserted.

An hour later, Serapio said Frivaldo radioed him and asked: ?Buddy, is our objective still far from here??

Serapio said it was at this point that he suspected something was wrong and advised Frivaldo to take it easy.

?Let?s go in slowly,? he recalled as telling Frivaldo.

Shortly after that, gunshots rang out. Serapio recalls hearing heavy gunfire through Frivaldo?s radio before it fell silent.

He said Frivaldo?s driver radioed for help. ?He said they could lose their heads if reinforcement would not arrive on time,? Serapio said.

Sitting ducks

Serapio said his group could not quickly move in because it, too, was under fire.

?That was when I was hit,? he said.

Serapio said he and his fellow soldiers were like sitting ducks in their positions.

?We were in an open space. We tried to seek cover but we only had cassava plants to seek refuge from,? he said.

Serapio said he radioed for artillery support, which came and forced the bandits to withdraw.

When the smoke cleared, six government soldiers were dead and 20 were wounded, including police and militiamen.

Staff Sergeant Benjie Naces, Frivaldo?s driver, said most of his companions, including Frivaldo, were hit in the first volley of fire.

?I was the only one firing back at the enemy because my companions were down,? he said.

In his hospital bed here, Frivaldo was emotional when asked about the ordeal.

?I don?t want to talk now. It?s painful. I lost my men,? he said.