2 soldiers killed, 11 wounded by ‘friendly fire’ in Marawi

(Updated) Two soldiers were killed while 11 others were injured when a bomb missed its target and exploded near the position of government troops here around noontime on Wednesday.

“Investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding an incident where an ordnance missed its target during an airstrike conducted at about 12 noon of 12 July 2017,” Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said.

“Initial report from Marawi indicates that the bomb was 250 meters off target. The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures. Large debris from  heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel, who succumbed to death in the process,” Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, the spokesperson of Task Force Marawi, said.

He said the 11 soldiers suffered minor shrapnel injuries.

“We are saddened by this unfortunate incident. We are attending to the needs of the families of our troops who died or were hurt. Cognizant units from the AFP have formed a group that is now conducting initial investigations to determine the cause of the mishap and prevent the chances of it re-occuring,” he said.

It was the second incident wherein soldiers were the ones hit by government bombs.

On May 31, 11 soldiers also perished when a bomb intended for the Maute group landed on an area occupied by soldiers here. JE