Soldier killed in clearing operations in Zamboanga City
MANILA, Philippines – A few days after the siege in Zamboanga City was declared over, a soldier was killed during clearing operations there.
Corporal Hakim Jaafar was killed in a clash with remnants of the Moro National Liberation Front in Sta. Barbara village at about 2:30p.m. on Monday, Army’s First Infantry Division Captain Jefferson Somera told INQUIRER.net on Tuesday.
Troops from the Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion were conducting clearing operations when they clashed with the stragglers.
Jaafar was married with two sons, aged 5 and 10. He was 44 years old and hailed from the province of Sulu. He joined the military in 1999.
Meanwhile, an MNLF fighter was also killed and one M14 rifle was recovered.
The gunbattle lasted for half an hour.
Somera said that although the police had taken the lead in the mopping-up operations, the military was still on the lookout for holdouts.
Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, military spokesman, told reporters on Monday that their troops would remain in Zamboanga City.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Zagala said it was “hard to say” how many more stragglers they were engaging with in the city.
“It is very important that we search thoroughly after our clearing operations. We will be returning the area to local government [ but it is] important that we clear the area [first] to ensure the safety of civilians who will return,” he said.
Zagala said there was a slim chance for the remnants to regroup.
“No more. They are already defeated. They are fleeing and evading capture. If they do regroup, thousands of troops are there on the ground and they are no match,” Zagala said.
About three brigades, or some 4,000 troops were deployed in the city to engage the MNLF since the fighting.
Over 200 had been killed from the fighting. Nineteen from the fatalities were soldiers.
The Philippine National Police is supposed to be in charge of the post-conflict stage, and the military will only be on support.
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