ON the morning of March 17, Sunday, four soldiers were ambushed by armed men on their way back to their camp in Sitio Bagurot, Barangay Mother Tuayan in Maguindanao del Sur.
The ambush took place in a residential area just a few kilometers away from their camp, as the soldiers were returning from town to purchase some supplies.
The Philippine Army believes that the terrorist group Dawla Islamiya Hassan group is responsible for the ambush.
“We have identified that the perpetrators of the ambush are members of the DI Hassan group,” said Col. Louie Dema-ala, Spokesperson, PA.
“We are now looking at the DI Hassan group as the perpetrators based on confirmation from our intelligence reports in the field,” Dema-ala added.
In an interview with SMNI News, Col. Louie Dema-ala, spokesperson for the Philippine Army, said that the DI Hassan group may be seeking revenge and that their recent successes against the terrorist group may have prompted the terrorists to retaliate.
“We are looking at various angles. Firstly, it may be revenge based on our past operations against them. Secondly, the ambush can be considered very dangerous because it occurred during Ramadan and even in broad daylight on the national highway, it was indeed very dangerous. They ambushed our soldiers in a planned manner,” Dema-ala stated.
Meanwhile, BGen. Oriel Pangcog, commander of the 601st Brigade, said at least ten individuals are suspected to be involved in the ambush.
“I think it’s no less than 10. The investigation is ongoing because the four who were ambushed were all inside the military vehicle. So, none survived, hence we did not get any statement,” BGen. Oriel Pangcog, Commander, 601st IB stressed.
The 601st IB also does not discount the angle that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) may have been involved in the ambush.
“There are claims, there have been interviews claiming that, but what we see there is that there are elements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and there are also elements of the Daulah Islamiya Group,” Pangcog added.
Following this, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) extended condolences to the families of the slain soldiers.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines extends its condolences to the families and loved ones left behind by four of our brave soldiers killed in an attack perpetrated by the terrorist Dawla Islamiyah – Hassan Group in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, March 17,” according to Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The AFP also vowed to pursue the perpetrators.
“The AFP vows to hunt down the perpetrators and neutralize these ruthless killers to finally put a stop to their violent acts that disrupt peace and stability in the region,” Armed Forces of the Philippines stated.
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is assisting the military in bringing justice to the slain soldiers.
“Our local police, including our mobile forces, are maintaining close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to bring justice and capture those who killed our soldiers,” said PCol. Jean Fajardo, Spokesperson, PNP.
Currently, while the soldiers respect the celebration of Ramadan, they will continue to fulfill their mandate to maintain peace and order in the area and to seek justice for those killed in the ambush.
“Soldiers of the Philippine Army respect the Holy Day— the celebration of Ramadan, however, we will not neglect peace and order, and the security of our community, especially now that this ambush happened. We will continue our pursuit operations against the members of the DI Hasan group to provide justice to our soldiers and to maintain peace and order in the community,” Dema-ala said.
