Troops in Quezon 'shootout' say operation was legit

MANILA, Philippines - The lawyer for 25 soldiers involved in the Atimonan, Quezon incident that left 13 people dead including  a police officer and a soldier submitted their counter-affidavit before the National Bureau of Investigation, insisting that the operation was legitimate.

A TV report said lawyer Crisanto Buena accompanied Maj. Gen. Alan Luga, Southern Luzon Command chief; Col. Monico Abang, commander of the Army Spcial Forces; and Gen. Alfredo Nonato Peralta, 2nd Infantry Divsion commander to the NBI. The other 22 soldiers involved in the incident, who are placed under restrictive custody, did not appear before the NBI.

The lawyer said his clients were just performing their duty during a legitimate operation.

The cops and soldiers who were involved in the incident said they were forced to fire at the 13 men on borad two sports utility vehicles because the men fired the first shots.