Marines in Sulu killed while preparing to rescue comrade's kidnapped wife

(Updated 7:05 p.m.) The deaths of seven Marines, including an officer, in an encounter with the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu over the weekend may have been a result of an “operational miscalculation,” prompting the military to conduct an internal investigation.

"We are trying to find out what went wrong," Armed Forces public affairs office chief Maj. Ramon Zagala told GMA News Online by phone Monday. "There may have been an operational miscalculation."

He said "a Marine operation officer has been sent to investigate the incident."

Last Saturday's clash in densely forested area in Barangay Tugas in Patikul town dealt a severe blow to the government campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, a loosely organized group of rebels known more now for kidnapping for ransom than for political goals.

The fatalities were part of a Marine Force Reconnaissance unit that was on a test mission as part of a “specialized combat course,” Zagala said.

Without elaborating, he said the troops were on a “security and stability operation” in connection with recent kidnapping incidents — victims of which included a soldier's wife — in Sulu when the clash occurred.

"Our goal is to curb the ability of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu," Zabala said. "We are trying to make Sulu peaceful."

Young but experienced

In a separate phone interview, Col. Jose Johriel Cenabre, commander of the Sulu-based 2nd Marine Brigade, said the Marines, all of them still in their 20s but "experienced," were outnumbered by the bandits during the encounter.

"There were more than 50 Abu Sayyaf during the encounter," he said. "Three times the number [of the government troops]."

Describing the soldiers, he said they were “experienced, around two years in the service, so they are around 24 to 28 years old."

When asked if the deaths of the soldiers was a result of “operational miscalculation," Cenabre said: "I don't agree, it was a very close encounter, beyond the imagination of a civilian."

Zagala said the recent clash was a "chance meeting encounter" and not an ambush. Reports said seven bandits were also killed, although only two bodies were recovered.

Military morale high

Meanwhile, Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista claimed the morale of troops remains high despite the loss of seven Marines.

“The morale of our people continues to be high. This is an incident which will not deter our people from performing their mandate of protecting the people and the state, the security and sovereignty of the state and the national interest,” Bautista told reporters after visiting the wake of the seven soldiers in Fort Bonifacio.

Bautista said he has instructed Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo and Cenabre to continue with the pursuit operations against the perpetrators.
 
“The directive is for them to continue to pursue the perpetrators of this incident and we have been constantly, in fact, pursuing this group who have kidnapping a lot of victims. Even without this directive, there is sustained operations to go after this group,” he said.

Willing to go back

Meanwhile, Western Mindanao Command spokesman Col. Rodrigo Gregorio said the four injured soldiers, who were awarded wounded-personnel medals, told him they are willing to return to their post even after the encounter.

The injured soldiers, who are now in stable condition, were confined in the Heroes Ward at the Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City, according to GMA News' Cedric Castillo's report on "Balitanghali."

Four other soldiers in Sulu were also pronounced out of danger by attending physicians, the report said, adding one soldier, shot in the head several times, was in critical condition inside an ICU in a private hospital in Zamboanga City.

Meanwhile, quoting Cenabre, the report said while the situation now in Sulu was stable and calm, the military was expecting a possible retaliation of the Abu Sayyaf.

According to the report, two of the sub-commanders of the Abu Sayyaf group were among the seven who were killed in the encounter.

The Abu Sayyaf, notorious for a number of high-profile kidnappings in the past including of foreign nationals, has been known to operate in the hinterlands of Sulu and Basilan provinces where they blend in with the largely Muslim population.

The group is also blamed for the country's worst bombing attacks, including in Metro Manila.

The military claimed to have reduced the number of active Abu Sayyaf members from over 1,000 in 2000 to more or less 300. — KBK/HS, GMA News