Army names slain soldier in Basilan attack

MANILA, Philippines – The military on Tuesday identified the victims of an attack by lawless elements Monday afternoon in Basilan, which killed an Army soldier and wounded two others.

The slain soldier was Private First Class Jalil Ahung, while the injured were Sergeant Abdulnander Bakil and Corporal Jaime Dugasan, said Army First Infantry Division spokesman Captain Alberto Caber.

The victims, unarmed and in civilian clothes at the time of the attack, were walking to their homebase in Camalig village in Unkaya Pukan town from a job site in Tipo-Tipo.

The soldiers were members of the Army’s 55th Engineer Battalion, a unit deployed in Basilan to help the government in its infrastructure projects as well as in disaster response.

Joint military and police pursuit operations were launched immediately after the attack but the perpetrators remained unidentified, said Caber.