Military probes deadly Sulu clash for 'operational miscalculation'

From GMA News (May 27): Military probes deadly Sulu clash for 'operational miscalculation'

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 “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 operational miscalculation."

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

Last Saturday's clash in Patikul town dealt a severe blow to the government campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, a loosely organized group of Islamic fundamentalists that the military said has significantly weakened following the deaths and arrests of some of its top leaders.

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.

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” against the recent kidnapping incidents — the victims of which included a soldier's wife — in the province 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."

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.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/310262/news/regions/military-probes-deadly-sulu-clash-for-operational-miscalculation