As of this writing no AFP solider has died from the coronavirus. Initially 11 soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in a clash with Abu Sayyaf on April 17th. Later one of the wounded died bringing the toll to
12 dead and 13 wounded.
Eleven Philippine Army soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in a gunbattle with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Patikul, Sulu, on Friday, April 17, the Armed Forces of the Phillippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) confirmed to Rappler.
Troops from the Army's 21st Infantry Battalion on a strike operation against the terror group encountered around 40 of its members in Sitio Lubong, Barangay Danag, at 3:05 pm, resulting in an hour-long firefight, according to a report confirmed by AFP Westmincom chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana
The ASG members were led by the group's top leader Radullan Sahiron, and the subleader of its pro-Islamic State faction Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, according to the spot report seen by Rappler.
Bloodstains on the clash site indicate an undetermined number of casualties among the ASG, who fled the vicinity after the encounter.
Government troops lost 7 R4 rifles, one with a 40mm grenade launcher attached, a K3 saw, and a handheld Harris Radio unit – used by the military for secure communications.
Malacañang condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” and condoled with the families of the fallen soldiers.
“The Office of the President expresses its sincerest condolences to the bereaved families left behind by our brave soldiers who fought hard and paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our community. We honor and pray for the fallen,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement on Saturday, April 18.
This condemnation from the Palace also came with a vow to crush the enemies of the state.
"The enemies of the State choose no date and occasion. They strike even during this time of great pandemic," said Roque.
"But let this serve as a warning to all: Our authorities remain ready and prepared to crush the enemies of the government and quell any armed attack amid the existing state of calamity and public health emergency," he said.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/18/20/palace-vows-to-crush-state-enemies-condemns-abu-attack-that-left-11-troopers-dead
For now the PNP and AFP are attempting to identify the attackers and have deployed men to secure civilian targets in case of a retaliatory attack.
The Bangsamoro regional police and the Western Mindanao Command will cooperate in identifying the Abu Sayyaf bandits who killed 11 Army personnel in a clash in Patikul, Sulu Friday for them to be prosecuted in court.
Gen. Manuel Manalo Abu, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region said Saturday the Sulu provincial police will enlist the help of local officials in identifying the culprits for them to be charged for their criminal offenses.
Abu said the Sulu provincial police deployed intelligence agents to help Westmincom guard public places from possible retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf for its losses in Friday’s hostilities in Patikul.
Talks have been circulating in police and military camps in the Bangsamoro region and at the regional capitol in Cotabato City purporting that the Abu Sayyaf lost five members in the encounter. Five bandits were also reportedly wounded in the incident.
The Abu Sayyaf has a reputation for venting ire on civilians over deaths of members in gunfights with pursuing state forces.
Prosecuting these terrorists in court seems rather far-fetched. They will likely either die in another encounter with the AFP or if they are lucky they will surrender and receive plenty of monetary benefits under E-CLIP. Hopefully there will be no retaliation against civilians by ASG though the AFP expects them to do so.
The police and military are bracing for more attacks by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province in retaliation for casualties in past encounters with the military.
Officials said Friday's deadly attack by Abu Sayyaf bandits on soldiers patrolling in Barangay Danag in Patikul, Sulu was meant to create the impression that the group is still a force to reckon with, after many of its members perished in military offensives from between December 2019 to March this year.
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Western Mindanao Command said Sunday the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu is trying to create the impression that it has not been affected by the deaths of many members in military operations in recent months.
Thankfully the AFP is on top of foiling those kinds of attacks.
An Army’s bomb disposal team disarmed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted in two locations in the Maguindanao town of Guindulungan by the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Wednesday, an official said.
Elements of the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion (IB) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members retrieved a plastic-coated sack with IEDs following reports from civilians, said Maj. Gen Diosdado Carreon, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
The IEDs were discovered in sitios Dungguan and Dama Kayo in Barangay Kalumamis after residents tipped the Army about what they suspected as homemade bombs.
In a statement on Thursday, Carreon said the Army’s 3rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team immediately conducted an evaluation and found out that the sack contained IEDs rigged from 60-mm and 81-mm mortar projectiles with electrical detonators and blasting caps filled with flash powder.
The AFP's ceasefire ended on April 15th which means proactive operations against the NPA are once more being resumed.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said it has resumed operations against communist terrorists pending President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement of a new ceasefire amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
"The ceasefire lapsed automatically at 23:59 of 15 April 2020. Unless the President and Commander-in-Chief announces a new period of ceasefire, the AFP’s offensive combat operations have resumed effective 0000 of 16 April 2020," military spokesperson Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement to reporters.
While Duterte has not renewed the ceasefire the CPP has issued an extension of their ceasefire for two more weeks.
The aim of extending the nationwide ceasefire is to ensure quick and unimpeded support to all people requiring urgent medical, health and socioeconomic assistance in the face of the public emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic. We must prioritize the fight against the pandemic and ensure the safety, health and well-being of everyone. In this situation, the revolutionary forces remain ever ready to cooperate with all other forces and elements to achieve this objective.
This extension order also supports the outstanding call of the United Nations for a global ceasefire to enable everyone to concentrate resources to surmount the present public health crisis. In line with this, the Party and NDFP also reiterate the call for justice and urgent release of all political prisoners and for declaring a general amnesty. The Party also continues to desire the resumption of peace negotiations between the NDFP and the GRP.
The Central Committee commends all units of the people’s army and people’s militias for their discipline in observing the ceasefire order and shifting priority to the anti-Covid-19 campaign despite the difficulties and dangers brought about by the continuing occupation of AFP combat troops in the guerrilla zones and base areas, the widespread and intense intelligence and psywar operations, and the attacks mounted by the AFP’s strike forces against detected NPA units. The recent armed encounters which the AFP misreport as NPA ceasefire violations are all a result of the offensive actions of the AFP.
The AFP claims the NPA violated their ceasefire and the NPA claims that is a lie. It's all she-said-he-said with the public left to guess and only knowing for sure that the insurgency continues.
Pasaporte said government troops were deployed to the area to secure residents claiming social amelioration grant from personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis. The soldiers pursued the rebels extorting food and money from residents.
He added that when the troops were closing in on them, the communist-terrorists set off an improvised explosive device and threw hand grenades. The explosion immediately killed Abibico and one of his men. The other soldier died while being evacuated.
Pasaporte said the soldiers also saw the rebels dragging their dead and wounded comrades.
"We will heighten operations to capture these NPA terrorists and stop them from sowing fear in the communities," he added.
Last week the AFP reported that the NPA stole relief goods that were being distributed. LGU's disputed that report. This week the NPA alleged the AFP were interfering with the distribution of relief goods.
Soldiers from the 31st IB drew flak for their attempt to take over the distribution of relief goods by local barangay officials in a village in Bulusan, Sorsogon on Tuesday, April 14. Reports reached the New People’s Army (NPA) in the province that village officials refused to hand over the said relief goods as these were solicited by village officials.
The NPA officers in the area remarked that the soldiers wanted to grab credit. “Gusto nilang palabasin sa mga tao na sa kanila galing ang mga relief goods.” (The soldiers wanted the residents to believe that the relief goods came from the AFP.)
The village officials asked that the name of their barangay be witheld fearing reprisals from the AFP troops.
Withholding the name over fears of retaliation is pretty convenient. Now there is no way to verify this incident.
Duterte has treated marital law or a much stricter lockdown if people don't start complying. The AFP says they are "more than ready" if it comes to that.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said it is more than ready to deploy troops to help enforce discipline and order should Filipinos continue to defy enhanced community quarantine rules.
"When directed, we are ready to take on the task of enforcing discipline and order where there is a breakdown in both and the people will not heed government’s pleas to observe community quarantine, stay at home, and when authorized to leave home, to observe physical distancing," AFP spokesperson Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement to reporters.
This is in response to President Rodrigo R. Duterte's warning that he would have the police and military assume enforcement and control of the enhanced community quarantine being implemented in Luzon as some Filipinos continue to ignore its protocols.
People continue to wander the streets drinking, gambling, and cockfighting. The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise and now stands are over 6,000. Nothing suggests that there has been a "flattening of the curve." Though the government claims they have not reached a decision about what will happen after April 30th it is likely they will extend the lockdown. They could also modify it into a "martial law type" situation.
The spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday confirmed the existence of an internal memo to the Philippine Air Force (PAF), where it described a “martial law-type role” for the members of the military and police in enforcing the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
The document that was issued, however, was for the “purpose of providing advance information to give guidance to personnel—in this case the PAF,” AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.
The memo was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that he would order military and police personnel to enforce “martial law-like” lockdown measures to control the increase of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) violations.
(Again, the context is: the President said that the AFP should prepare for deployment with the PNP in case people would defy the protocols and disobey the rules.)
Hard decisions confront the Philippines and the AFP is on standby ready to execute whatever orders they receive.
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