Will the military punish the soldiers who committed the fatal error?
They were killed by fellow soldiers in what the military calls an unfortunate "accident" that came about probably because of "combat stress."
Six members of
the Armed Forces' elite Joint Special Operations Group (JSOG) were killed on
June 19, 2014 in Patikul, Sulu, when they were hit by 105-mm howitzer fire from
the Marines that was meant for the enemy - the Abu Sayyaf, according to
military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala.
The early morning
tragedy was initially blamed on the Abu Sayyaf. The Marines at the time were
exchanging heavy gunfire with the terrorist group, which cost the life of First
Lieutenant Roger Flores and wounded 12 other Marines.
After Flores was hit, his unit asked for fire support from
headquarters. The Marine base responded. But a military probe showed that
instead of hitting the Abu Sayyaf, the howitzer landed on the forward base camp
of JSOG, killing 6 soldiers inside and wounding 11 others, Zagala said, citing
a report from the military's Board of Inquiry (BOI).
The BOI submitted
on Monday, July 7, the result of its preliminary investigation on the incident.
But no decision has been made yet on whether the troops involved would be
punished for what happened, Zagala said.
"The chief of staff was saddened
by it because it was friendly fire," Zagala added, referring to Armed
Forces chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista, who is scheduled to retire on
July 20.
"There are
many factors. Friendly fire doesn't happen just here in the Philippines
"Although
they died from friendly fire, it does not diminish their acts of courage. They
are still part of operations against terrorists and we consider them as
heroes," Zagala added.
The Marines and
the Abu Sayyaf have been caught in a series of encounters in recent months.
In April
2014, one Marine soldier was killed while 14 Abu Sayyaf members were
slain in Patikul. The Abu Sayyaf was trying to regain their captured camp in
the town, the military said then.
Sulu remains to
be a bailiwick of the armed group, which is also behind the kidnapping of
civilians and foreigners in the island province.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/62950-friendly-fire-sulu-military
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