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Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Military entraps Sayyafs in Basilan
* Lawmakers push for more benefits for kin of fallen Marines
MANILA -- Government forces have sealed off the possible escape routes of the remaining Abu Sayyaf members who escaped from a camp that was assaulted by Marine forces last Saturday in Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan.
The raid resulted in the killing of 15 Marine soldiers and wounding of seven others. The military said soldiers doing clearing operations in the seized camp accounted for at least 42 dead Abu Sayyaf bandits.
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Brigadier General Juancho Sabban, military Task Force Thunder commander and Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) deputy chief, said there was a lull in the fighting on Monday.
Sabban said howitzer rounds were fired at suspected locations of the retreating Abu Sayyaf. He did not identify the areas shelled but the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said it was at the boundary of Unkaya Pukan, Sumisip, and Tipo-tipo towns.
"The purpose of the shelling is that when we are at a disadvantaged position and they are at an advantage, we'll have to soften (the) ground by shelling the area," said Sabban, on the pursued group composed of at least 50 to 40 Abu Sayyaf guerillas.
Sabban said they could not ensure that the enemy would not escape but assured that measures were already in place to contain them in the area. The pursued group was under the Abu Sayyaf Furuji Indama, who was among those slain in the assault.
Indama, along with brother Umaril--who was also slain last Saturday, was among those who beheaded 10 of 14 Marine soldiers killed during the July 10 clash with rebel elements in Al-Barka town, also in Basilan.
Sabban could not say if Isnilon Hapilon, the overall leader of the Abu Sayyaf in the province, was with the pursued group.
He maintained that the military won the battle last Saturday, denying reports that the assaulting Marine soldiers were killed like "sitting ducks."
"We would like to correct reports that the Marines were sitting ducks. That's not true. We were able to overrun their camp. Our casualties were positioned in different parts of the camp. They were not ambushed; it was an assault targeting several houses and position. There was no such thing that they were sitting ducks. They (soldiers) were assaulting the Abu Sayyaf," said Sabban.
He said the troops saw at least 42 bandits killed inside the camp but the soldiers did not retrieve their bodies.
Sabban downplayed speculations that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) reinforced the Abu Sayyaf during the fighting. Sabban said the operations were coordinated with the secessionist group, which maintains a camp near the area.
Congressmen, meanwhile, pressed for more benefits for the families of 15 Marine soldiers who died in the latest clash with members of the Abu Sayyaf last Saturday.
Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of Leyte, Marc Douglas Cagas IV of Davao del Sur, Joseph Emilio Abaya of Cavite and Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Sur hoped the military leadership would speedily reassess its plans to prevent more losses while ensuring the success of pursuit operations against the bandits.
"It's sad to hear the story about the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Filipinos. I hope the military leadership will find ways to lessen the number of casualties and for the government to help their families," said Romualdez.
Cagas said as a fitting tribute to the killed and wounded soldiers, the government should provide more benefits to their families. "Aside from awarding them with medals in recognition of their gallantry, we should provide more benefits to their families and scholarship grants to their children," said Cagas.
Abaya expressed his condolences to the families of the killed soldiers, saying the incident was "totally devastating." "The commanders probably acted in their best judgment. But we in Manila could hardly assess what really happened. It is very unfortunate that the Marines incurred very heavy casualties," he said.
Plaza said he is hoping that the ongoing war in Basilan and Sulu would result in the formal resumption of peace talks with legitimate rebel groups.
Cagas called on the International Monitoring Team (IMT) to verify reports that MILF rebels sneaked onto the battlefield from their designated areas to help the Abu Sayyaf.
Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief Eugenio Cedo said they cannot say if the MILF involved itself in Saturday's clashes. He said they already asked the MILF not to leave the area designated for them so they wouldn't get drawn into the clash.
Another congressman, Bohol Representaive Adam Jala, criticized the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for mounting attacks in Mindanao while the military was engaging the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Sulu.
Jala said the CPP's move could either be part of a tactical alliance of one terrorist group with another terror organization or a diversionary tactic to ease the military pressure on the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Sulu. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (August 21, 2007 issue)
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