3 soldiers shot dead in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Motorcycle-riding men shot dead three soldiers in Lamitan City on Saturday afternoon and a military official blamed a group behind recent attacks on a rubber cooperative there as responsible.

Major General Rainier Cruz, commander of the 1st Infantry Division based in Zamboanga del Sur but has jurisdiction over Basilan, said the dead soldiers were an Army sergeant, a corporal and a private first class belonging to the 32nd Infantry Battalion.

He declined to name the victims. But an AFP report said the three were members of the Army’s intelligence unit in Basilan and had left their barracks to buy food when attacked, according to Army Captain Alberto Caber who blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the attack.

The Lamitan police said the soldiers were riding on a motorcycle and were traversing the Basilan Circumferential Road in Barangay Baas around 4:15 p.m. when fired upon by armed men on two motorcycles. The armed men allegedly followed the soldiers from Bohe Bessey village. The soldiers suffered multiple bullet wounds and died instantly, the police said.

Caber said the Abu Sayyaf apparently feared that once the peace pact is signed, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front would actively help the military hunt them down. Reports from Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao,  AFP and AP