Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Soldier who led successful operations v. Janjalani wants to go back to war
THE commander of the Marine platoon that killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani in the jungles of Sulu is raring to return to the island province to join what the military leadership called as the “final battles” against the terrorist group.
2nd Lieutenant Romulo Dimayuga, currently the executive officer of the Marines 64th Reconnaissance Company, is due to be redeployed to Sulu in a couple of months after undergoing re-retraining at the Marine Base Ternate in Cavite City.
“There was never a time when we are not ready as a Marine, as a Reconnaisance Marine. We are always ready to fight so anytime they (higher-ups) will tell us ‘go back to Jolo’, we will return and continue the fight,” said Dimayuga.
Dimayuga said he would be glad to led the campaign against the remaining leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, including Radullan Sahiron - who supposedly succeeded Janjalani - and Dr. Abu Pula, among others.
“In a matter of months, we are going to return (to Sulu),” said Dimayuga, who was wounded in that clash with Janjalani and his men in the outskirts of Barangay Tugas in Patikul town on September 4 last year.
Dimayuga was then the commander of a 27-man platoon involved in the operation. Six Marine soldiers died in the three-hour clash while 16 others, including him, were wounded. One of the wounded soldiers is still confined in the hospital due to a broken bone.
Dimayuga, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2005, retold his story of the clash with the group of Janjalani at around 5 a.m. of September 4 last year. The officer first told the story from his hospital bed days after the encounter.
He said his platoon was first deployed to Indanan town on August 1 to take part in the military’s Operation Plan Ultimatum, a campaign aimed at neutralizing Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah leaders in Sulu.
On the evening of September 3, several Marine platoons were sent to Barangay Tugas after the 3rd Marine Brigade, with technical support of US forces in Sulu, confirmed information that the Abu Sayyaf was in the area.
At around 1 a.m., Dimayuga’s unit stumbled upon a 40-man group but waited four hours before opening fire because it was dark. He said it was not advisable to attack they only had three night-vision goggles.
Dimayuga said they were able to get as close as four meters with the Abu Sayyaf. He said they pulled back a few meters more before hurling grenades at the Abu
Sayyaf position and released a volume of bullets.
He said a man, wearing a cloth on his head who he believed was Janjalani, was singing when his group hurled the grenades. He said he was not sure if the man was singing his morning prayer because he could not understand the lyrics.
Hundreds of Abu Sayyaf terrorists providing rear and front security for the main group arrived as reinforcements, increasing the number of the Abu Sayyaf they engaged to about 200 men, leading to a fierce gun battle.
Dimayuga said his platoon decreased in number due to deaths and injuries and the number of the Abu Sayyaf grew. Notwithstanding this, he said they held on to their ground and established a perimeter defense that the Abu Sayyaf failed to penetrate.
The Abu Sayyaf terrorists withdrew when reinforcements came in. (VR/Sunnex)
