Friendly fire kills 11 soldiers

MANILA, Philippines -  An Air Force plane dropping bombs on Maute extremists killed 11 soldiers and wounded seven others in “friendly fire” as government forces were struggling to rout the militants who have laid siege to Marawi City, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.

A Marchetti SF-260 jet was on a bombing run over militant positions in Marawi City on Wednesday when one bomb hit Army troops locked in close-range combat with the Maute gunmen who had taken cover in buildings and houses.

“A group of our military armed men were hit by our own air strikes. Ten (were initially) killed,” Lorenzana said in a press briefing in Malacañang.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla later told a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo that 11 troops were killed in the air strike.

“We are deeply saddened by what transpired. We mourn the loss of 11 of our brave ‘Harbingers of Peace’ and the wounding of seven others,” Padilla said.

Security officials repeatedly said the assaults involved “precision” and “surgical” air strikes, and gave assurance they were not harming any of the trapped civilians or hostages.

The military has been using the new FA-50 jets armed with rockets. The Marchetti jets were using conventional steel cased bombs.

Padilla clarified the AFP is not using precision guided bombs in Marawi, saying the military has yet to acquire such in its inventory.

What is being done, he said, is the conduct of precision air strikes, which the Air Force pilots are highly capable in carrying out the mission.

“First of all, we are not using precision guided munitions. We don’t have that capability. What we are doing in the conflict is precision air strikes,” Padilla said.

Lorenzana admitted the AFP has run out of rockets and has resorted to using conventional bombs to strike enemy positions.

“We still have some precision-guided munitions that will really hit the indicated targets. But medyo naubusan na tayo niyan (we ran out of that),” he said.

“They are now using conventional bombs. If you commit a mistake, either you will release it in advance or the release will be delayed then you will not hit the target.”

Lorenzana though admitted the incident was an “accident.”

“It’s sad but sometimes it happens in the fog of war. The coordination was not properly done,” Lorenzana said.

“We are still investigating what really happened, whether there was a miscommunication or there was an error of somebody there on the ground or on the air on the part of the pilot,” he added.

Blue on blue

Padilla said the military has ordered an investigation of the friendly fire, which reflects the difficulty faced by government forces to contain the insurrection despite their overwhelming number and firepower.

“Despite the stringent procedure followed, there happens even with the best of armed forces, a case of friendly fire hitting our own troops,” Padilla said.

AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año has ordered an investigation partly to prevent another incident.

“It was very unfortunate and no one wanted it to happen. I am deeply saddened and the whole AFP commiserate with the bereaved families with deep regret,” Año added.

The AFP investigation is expected to last for three to five days.

Initial investigation showed two jets, laden with conventional gravity bombs, took the bombing runs into the targets.

Lorenzana said details provided by the Army’s 1st Division said the first plane managed to drop the bomb on the target but the second plane following the run could have prematurely ejected the bomb, hitting the troops below who were engaging the militants in close combat.

“There were two planes flying and the first plane dropped the ordnance accurately but the second was off target and hit our troops,” Lorenzana said.

The fatalities and the wounded included the troops from the Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion and 15th Infantry Battalion.

The fatalities were identified as Sgt. Throlen Lago, Sgt. Joseph Villanueva, Cpl. Philip Apao, Pfc. Anthony Capulot, Pvt. Jessrael Butalina, Pfc. Ahanie Ampalo, Pfc. Kevin Sisiban, Corporals Aliyasir Abdullah, Ricky Asan, Nilo Donato and Christopher de la Cruz.

The military has bombed and fired rockets from attack helicopters throughout the conflict at the militants, who have been hiding in residential areas holding hostages.

About 2,000 civilians are also trapped in the militant-held areas, according to local officials.

Review and adjust

Concerned groups have been calling on the military to cease air strikes to allow trapped civilians to get out of Marawi.

Lorenzana said the conduct of air raids may be suspended but he would leave it to the ground commanders to decide.

“We are pouring more troops there that’s why I said a while ago, we might suspend for a while the air strikes and let the ground troops do their thing,” Lorenzana said.

“Perhaps we have to limit the air strikes to the aircraft that can deliver accurately their ordnance,” he added.

AFP Public Information Office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo, however, defended the military strategy of bombing the Maute positions in Marawi.

He said the troops needed close air and artillery support in dislodging the militants from their well-entrenched positions.

Arevalo said Maute snipers are using the buildings and houses as bunkers to pin down the advancing government troops.

“Mortar rounds could not demolish these bunkers,” Arevalo said.

Former defense chief Gilberto Teodoro, said what happened last Wednesday was a case of “blue on blue” incidents involving friendly fire.

Teodoro stressed the incident has to be investigated.

The accident was the first for the PAF’s Italian-made light aircraft trainer jets. They were used in the air strike mission during the Zamboanga siege in 2013 by rogue Moro National Liberation Front followers of Nur Misuari.

Unfortunate

Lawmakers described the incident as unfortunate.

“Now is not the time for finger-pointing on what happened. Casualties resulting from unexpected mishaps is certainly something that we should frown on,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said.

Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon, for his part, said it is very unfortunate that air strikes have killed government troops.

“Under the existing conditions, it was bound to happen due to the prevailing conditions...the pace of the air strikes,” he said

Biazon said the AFP should determine first any adjustment in tactics and later on look for accountability and appropriate penalty if warranted.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III agreed that the military should review their systems, strategies, tactics and policies in air strikes.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said this is not the time for fault finding.

“On the contrary, this is the time to pray and honor all the heroes who lost their lives, no matter what caused their deaths,” he said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy officer, said the incident was both tragic and unfortunate since it came at a time when the military has almost won its war against the Maute group.

Padilla said a board of inquiry has been formed as ordered by the AFP chief while the defense department also ordered a probe on the circumstances surrounding the bungled air raid.

The BOI will be headed the AFP’s Inspector General to determine if there was failure of equipment or human error either by the pilot or by forward observer on the ground.

Officials said the unnamed pilot has been placed under questioning including the personnel involved in the ground to air operations.

 “So let’s see. Depending on the result of the investigation, if some people should answer for that then we will do it. If not, we can just charge it to a bad experience,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana said last Wednesday’s erratic bombing run will not stop the military in clearing Marawi of the militants.

Officials said the military is targeting to clear Marawi of the Maute gunmen by today. Troops are now in control of over 90 percent of the city.

“We still have more than one day so I’m sure the troops will do the best they can to accomplish the deadline,” Lorenzana said.

“Let’s see. The situation is very fluid and we can adjust maybe towards this weekend or Sunday but it’s near. There are only a few remaining Maute pockets of resistance,” Lorenzana said.

A total of 120 Maute terrorists, 25 government troopers and 19 civilians have been killed since fighting erupted last May 23.

Fighting broke out after the Maute group, which has ties with the extremist Islamic State, attacked parts of Marawi City, burned several buildings and held hostage a number of civilians. The violence prompted President Duterte to place the entire island of Mindanao under martial law. –Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado, John Unson, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy, AFP, AP