13 Abu Sayyaf men killed in new firefight, says AFP

THIRTEEN Abu Sayyaf members have been killed in military operations since Saturday’s 10-hour firefight in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Monday.

In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said government troops engaged a small band of bandits on Sunday in Barangay Baguindan in the same area where 18 soldiers were ambushed and killed on Saturday.

“We have not stopped in our operations to pursue the Abu Sayyaf,” Padilla said.

Sunday’s gunfight began at around 9 a.m. and lasted until midafternoon, with no losses on the side of the government troops. An initial eight Abu Sayyaf members were killed on Sunday.

On Saturday, troops encountered 150 members of the Abu Sayyaf group led by Isnilon Hapilon and Furuji Indama in Tipo-Tipo, the firefight lasting 10 hours. The gun battle resulted in one of the biggest casualties suffered by government troops in a single day in recent years.

The encounter left 18 soldiers dead and six others critically wounded, while a Moroccan terrorist identified as Mohammad Khattab and Hapilon’s son Ubaida Hapilon were killed on the enemy side.

On the enemy side, five were initially reported dead including subleader Radzmil Jannatul, while 20 were wounded.

Most of those killed and injured were from the 44th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.

Burial, financial assistance

The 18 soldiers killed in action will be given military honors when the remains are transported to their hometowns, and even during the burial.

Of the 18 soldiers, 13 were Christians while five were Muslims. The Abu Sayyaf even attempted to behead a Christian and a Muslim soldier but did not succeed as government troops managed to recover the bodies.

The AFP is preparing the benefits to be received by those wounded in battle as well as the families of those killed in action. The military is also offering burial assistance to the bereaved.

Padilla said the benefits include special financial assistance equivalent to six months’ salary, P50,000 insurance, scholarships for children and cash benefits from different organizations such as P100,000 from the Philippine Army’s

finance organization cooperative.

On the other hand, those wounded will receive assistance ranging from P50,000 for minor wounds to P100,000 for major injuries.

Padilla noted that some of the soldiers who suffered minor injuries were raring to be discharged and go back to the field to fight the Abu Sayyaf.

“A soldier once wounded only grows more brave. They want to go back to battle. You can expect that we will intensify our operations to keep our communities safe,” he said.

Extremely close range

Padilla described Saturday’s firefight as a “meeting engagement” or fighting at extremely close range, coupled with improvised explosive devices (IED) planted by the enemy.

Initially, the military operation was supposed to be carried out with close air support and artillery bombardment, but bad weather in the morning prevented a clear view for aerial bombardment.

The aircraft hovered in the area, finally providing the much needed close air support came by noon when the weather cleared, giving a clear view for the pilots to fire.

Used for the air attacks were the OV-10 Bronco light attack aircraft and the MG-520 light attack helicopters, while Huey helicopters were used to airlift the wounded and dead.

“The close air support was able to deliver bombardment during Saturday afternoon so the enemy was forced to stay away,” Padilla said, noting that the enemy was at times only 10 meters away.

Joint Task Group Basilan

Most of the casualties on the government side were sustained in the morning due to the IED explosions, although artillery bombardment was doubled to make up for the initial lack of aerial attacks.

Padilla said that all available assets were deployed to help the ground troops fight the enemy, contrary to claims that the soldiers fought with little support.

There were no sightings of the Abu Sayyaf’s kidnap victims, which includes three foreigners and a Filipina seized from Samal Island in Davao last September.

He added that the Joint Task Group Basilan had been carrying out successful military operations against the Abu Sayyaf for the past month and that Saturday was the first major loss for the military.

“There were many ground troops maneuvering. It so happened that the 44th Infantry Battalion met the strongest force of the Abu Sayyaf, and they died of the IEDs planted by the enemy near their camp,” the military official said.

While the military may conduct an investigation on what happened during the military operation last Saturday, the AFP said it is focusing on continuing the non-stop operations and not play the blame game for now.

“This is not the time to blame, this is a time to focus because the enemy is just right there and we need to find them and get to them,” Padilla said.