AFP probes civilian deaths in Sulu clash

The Armed Forces has launched an investigation into the deaths of eight civilians, including three minors, in last Monday’s clash between government troops and Abu Sayyaf rebels in Maimbung, Sulu.

But Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the military operation leading to the encounter was legitimate.

“There is an ongoing investigation right now. It is by all means a legitimate operation which turned out to have some civilian casualties, so we want to look into it,” he said.

He said the inspector general of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) went to the scene of the clash to conduct an investigation.

The encounter also left four Abu Sayyaf members and two soldiers killed, and five other soldiers wounded.

Esperon said he would also personally look into what really happened in Maimbung. He earlier said it was quite unusual that the civilians were in the area where the encounter took place at around 2:30 a.m. last Monday.

“We want to get other details of that. Remember that the encounter happened at 2:30 in the morning near a mangrove area, so what are the civilians doing there? We would like to find out how it happened that they were there,” he said.

Esperon said government forces encountered strong resistance, with one of the snipers of the elite Light Reaction Battalion fatally hit by an M60 machine gun.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, Westmincom chief, said the probe will determine if the soldiers “committed atrocities and find out if they should be held accountable.”

Allaga said three of the eight civilian fatalities were minors aged four, nine and 17.

Anak Mindanao Rep. Mujiv Hataman filed House Resolution No. 438 seeking an investigation into the civilians’ deaths which he described as “despicable, loathsome and ruthless.”

Military sources said composite teams of the Joint Task Force Comet were conducting an operation to rescue Filipino-Chinese businesswoman Rosalie Lao and two others, who were believed abducted by Abu Sayyaf bandits led by a certain Kumander Jamji.

Maj. Eugene Batara, Westmincom spokesman, said the Abu Sayyaf band was also led by Albader Parad and Abu Pula, who are both included in the US list of foreign terrorists. – With Roel Pareño and Delon Porcalla