AFP admits it needs to upgrade urban warfare training

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Monday it needs to upgrade its theories, tactics, and techniques on urban warfare as it admitted that the Marawi firefight is of different level from what the government troops are used to.

“Pwede tayong magsabi na kailangan nating i-evaluate pagkatapos ng operations how we fared vis-a-vis the tactics employed by the enemy at gumawa tayo ng kaukulang pag-aaral upang magkaroon tayo ng pagbabago sa ating mga theories, doctrines, tactics, techniques and procedures,” AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Edgard Arevalo said.

Arevalo said troops are trained in urban warfare but Marawi gave them a different experience.

“Nakita natin ang kaibahan ng operations na nagawa na ng AFP, although meron na tayong experience sa urban warfare like we already have doctrines about close quarter battle but this one is a different level ng urban warfare,” he said.

“Nakita natin sa Marawi ang situation dito talagang very dense ang mga structure, highly reinforced ang mga pagkagawa nito at nakita natin na this is altogether a different level of urban warfare,” he added.

He further said aside from the terrain, the enemy Maute group also make the operations harder for the soldiers.

“Hindi lamang yung pagiging urban nature ng terrain, kasama na rito ang mismong kalaban natin, meaning hindi sila nago-observe ng any rules of engagement, they use human shields, nagsusunog sila ng bahay, nagsusunog sila ng structure, gumagamit sila ng improvised explosive devices,” he said.

He added the mindset of the ISIS-inspired group was also very different.

“‘Yung kanilang mindset is one which is, kumbaga their willingness to die with their belief na if they will die fighting for what they think is a cause, they will be going to heaven. So this is an entirely different battlefield and entirely different kind of enemy altogether,” he said.

Arevalo said they are conducting evaluations everyday to ensure that they are doing the right thing to defeat Maute.

“Every day na nagsasagawa tayo ng ating operations ay pinag-aaralan natin kung how we are faring and how we'll be able to defeat the enemy so itong mga ito ang iko-compile natin, pag-aaralan, at gagawa ng mga pagbabagong kinakailangan in terms of our doctrines,” he said.

On the report that Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Isnilon Hapilon was still in Marawi, Arevalo said this is good news as he expressed hope that government troops will be able to neutralize him and his men soon.

“For the record, ang ating monitoring ay kasalukuyan pa rin silang nanduroon sa Marawi. This is good news para sa atin sapagkat at least sa kabila nung nangyaring kaguluhan at kasiraan at nagpapatuloy pang bakbakan, alam natin na ‘yung ating hinahanap ay kasalukuyan pang nandun sa area,” he said.

“We hope that we will be able to neutralize them then and there upang hindi na nila maipagpatuloy pa o magkaroon pa sila ng next chapter o pagpapatuloy ng kanilang atrocity, terrorist activity sa ibang bahagi ng ating bansa,” he added. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News