Showing posts with label Col. Ramiro Alivio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Col. Ramiro Alivio. Show all posts
Thursday, August 02, 2007
MILF Tags Abu Sayyaf In Beheading Of 10 Marines In Southern Philippines
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
President Arroyo Orders Troops To Hunt Rebels In Troubled South
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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Top Sayyaf Leader, Son Wounded In Clash In Southern Philippines
Philippine troops load onto a truck on Wednesday July 11, 2007 the bodies of Philippine Marines who were killed Tuesday in a clash with Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Muslim insurgents while searching for a kidnapped Italian priest at the volatile island province of Basilan in southern Philippines. Troops recovered the bodies of 14 marines, ten of them mutilated, in one of the bloodiest fights this year, which erupted on Al-Barka town. Basilan island military chief Marines Col. Ramiro Alivio said some 500 militants ambushed the heavily outnumbered soldiers. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)
BASILAN ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 11 Jul) – Philippine soldiers have wounded a senior leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and his son in fierce clashes in Basilan island that left dozens of soldiers and militants dead and wounded.
Marines Col. Ramiro Alivio, the island's military chief, told the Mindanao Examiner that troops shot Isnilon Hapilon and one his son in Tuesday fighting in the town of Al-Barka, where Abu Sayyaf militants, backed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, killed 14 government soldiers and wounded nine others.
Isnilon is on the terror lists of the Philippines and United States and was implicated in the kidnappings of U.S. citizens and foreigners in the restive South.
Military spokesmen in Manila said ten of the soldiers were decapitated. The bodies were brought to a military base in Zamboanga City, where it would be given honors, said Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command.
“Lt. Gen. (Eugenio) Cedo wants a full military honor for the fallen soldiers,” Batara said in a separate interview late Wednesday.Batara was referring to Cedo, who is the chief of the Western Mindanao Command.
Alivio said troops were tracking down Hapilon in the jungle of Basilan, where a kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi is believed being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf and MILF forces.
“We have intelligence reports that said Isnilon Hapilon and his son are wounded in the fighting.
Troops are tracking him down,” Alivio said.The MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, said the fighting broke out after government forces sneaked inside a known rebel territory.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said marine soldiers encroached inside their stronghold, sparking daylong clashes that left as many as 20 government troops dead. Four MILF fighters were also killed and four more wounded, he said.
Alivio said at least 30 Abu Sayyaf and MILF gunmen were killed in the clashes. “It is a conservative estimate, but villagers and intelligence reports said there could be more enemy casualties.”
He said the soldiers were checking reports that the clergy, kidnapped on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was sighted in the town. “Troops were verifying reports that Father Bossi was spotted in the area, but it turned out negative. Our forces were returning to base when they came under fire and fighting broke out,” Alivio said, adding, troops fought about 500 gunmen.
Alivio said the search for Bossi is ongoing. “We have persistent reports that Bossi is being held in Al-Barka town and the MILF is preventing us from searching the priest,” he said.
Iqbal said the fighting was between the MILF and government troops. He accused the military of violating a six-year old fragile cease-fire accord and said the MILF would file a protest with the government peace panel about the encroachment of the soldiers.
He said rebel forces destroyed two M35 military trucks and captured another during the fighting. He said MILF fighters have also recovered five M60 machine guns, one sub-machine gun, five M-203 automatic rifles, two M-14 rifles with sniper scopes, one night vision goggle and two radio transceivers.
Alivio said the MILF has no territory in Basilan. “As far as we are concerned, there is only one authority and one government in Basilan and that is the Republic of the Philippines, not the MILF,” he said.
Acting Filipino Defense chief Norberto Gonzales has told Margherita Boniver, special envoy of the Italian government, that the 57-year old priest from Milan is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.
But Boniver, who visited the Philippines, last week doubted the report and so was the Rome-based Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere to which Bossi belongs. “There are other theories about the kidnappers, for example, the head of the army mentioned former members of the Islamic Liberation Front,” Boniver said.
Philippine military and police authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay have tagged Akiddin Abdusallam, a rogue MILF leader as mastermind in the kidnapping. The MILF said Abdusallam has been kicked out of the MILF long time ago because of his criminal past and has joined the Abu Sayyaf group.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate homeland, has denied involvement in the kidnapping, but a rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said Bossi’s captors were demanding “tens of millions of pesos” in ransom.
Last week, three undated photographs of Bossi in captivity were sent through cell phone to his friend Spanish priest Angel Calvo in Zamboanga City. The military said a former Basilan town mayor was the source of the photos. It was unclear how the former official was able to get the photos. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
MILF, Not Sayyaf Clashed With Troops In Southern Philippines, Rebel Leader Says
BASILAN ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Jul) – Philippine Muslim rebels engaged in peace talks with the government clashed Tuesday with security forces in Basilan island, south of Manila.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said marine soldiers encroached inside their stronghold on a remote town and attacked rebel forces, sparking daylong clashes that left as many as 20 government troops dead.
Four MILF fighters were also killed and four more wounded, he said.
The Philippine Marines said only 3 soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the fighting.
Marine Colonel Ramiro Alivio, the island’s military chief, also denied that 20 soldiers were killed. “It was not true,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Alivio earlier said that troops, searching for the kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi, clashed with members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group aided by MILF rebels in the hinterland village of Ginanta in Al-Barka town.
He said the soldiers were checking reports that the clergy, kidnapped on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was sighted in the town. The report turned out to be false.
“Troops were verifying reports that Father Bossi was spotted in the area, but it turned out negative. Our forces were returning to base when they came under fire and fighting broke out,” Alivio said, adding, troops fought about 500 gunmen.
Iqbal said the fighting was between the MILF and government troops.
He said rebel forces destroyed two M35 military trucks and captured another during the fighting. He said MILF fighters have also recovered five M60 machine guns, one sub-machine gun, five M-203 automatic rifles, two M-14 rifles with sniper scopes, one night vision goggle and two radio transceivers.
Acting Filipino Defense chief Norberto Gonzales has told Margherita Boniver, special envoy of the Italian government, that the 57-year old priest from Milan is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.
But Boniver, who visited the Philippines, last week doubted the report and so was the Rome-based Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere to which Bossi belongs. “There are other theories about the kidnappers, for example, the head of the army mentioned former members of the Islamic Liberation Front,” Boniver said.
Philippine military and police authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay have tagged Akiddin Abdusallam, a rogue MILF leader as mastermind in the kidnapping. The MILF said Abdusallam has been kicked out of the MILF long time ago because of his criminal past and has joined the Abu Sayyaf group.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate homeland, has denied involvement in the kidnapping, but a rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said Bossi’s captors were demanding “tens of millions of pesos” in ransom.
Last week, three undated photographs of Bossi in captivity were sent through cell phone to his friend Spanish priest Angel Calvo in Zamboanga City.
The military said a former Basilan town mayor was the source of the photos. It was unclear how the former official was able to get the photos.
Philippine authorities were investigating the authenticity of the photos, all showing Bossi sitting on a boulder surrounded by young trees. One photograph showed Bossi holding a transistor radio.
PIME said it has no contact with the kidnappers. Bossi is the third Italian priest kidnapped in the past year in the southern Philippines.
Rogue MILF rebels kidnapped Father Luciano Benedetti, 52, in Zamboanga del Norte province in 1998 and held for nearly 10 weeks until he was freed in exchange for a huge government ransom.
In 2001, renegade MILF rebels and members of the bandit group called Pentagon Gang also snatched Father Giuseppe Pierantoni as the 44-year-old from Bologna said mass in the parish church of Dimataling town in Zamboanga del Sur.
The priest was freed after six months in captivity in exchange for an unspecified ransom, but he claimed to have escaped from his kidnappers.
Benedetti now has been following developments in the Bossi kidnapping case closely from the start, from the regional house of PIME in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said marine soldiers encroached inside their stronghold on a remote town and attacked rebel forces, sparking daylong clashes that left as many as 20 government troops dead.
Four MILF fighters were also killed and four more wounded, he said.
The Philippine Marines said only 3 soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in the fighting.
Marine Colonel Ramiro Alivio, the island’s military chief, also denied that 20 soldiers were killed. “It was not true,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Alivio earlier said that troops, searching for the kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi, clashed with members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group aided by MILF rebels in the hinterland village of Ginanta in Al-Barka town.
He said the soldiers were checking reports that the clergy, kidnapped on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was sighted in the town. The report turned out to be false.
“Troops were verifying reports that Father Bossi was spotted in the area, but it turned out negative. Our forces were returning to base when they came under fire and fighting broke out,” Alivio said, adding, troops fought about 500 gunmen.
Iqbal said the fighting was between the MILF and government troops.
He said rebel forces destroyed two M35 military trucks and captured another during the fighting. He said MILF fighters have also recovered five M60 machine guns, one sub-machine gun, five M-203 automatic rifles, two M-14 rifles with sniper scopes, one night vision goggle and two radio transceivers.
Acting Filipino Defense chief Norberto Gonzales has told Margherita Boniver, special envoy of the Italian government, that the 57-year old priest from Milan is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.
But Boniver, who visited the Philippines, last week doubted the report and so was the Rome-based Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere to which Bossi belongs. “There are other theories about the kidnappers, for example, the head of the army mentioned former members of the Islamic Liberation Front,” Boniver said.
Philippine military and police authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay have tagged Akiddin Abdusallam, a rogue MILF leader as mastermind in the kidnapping. The MILF said Abdusallam has been kicked out of the MILF long time ago because of his criminal past and has joined the Abu Sayyaf group.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate homeland, has denied involvement in the kidnapping, but a rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said Bossi’s captors were demanding “tens of millions of pesos” in ransom.
Last week, three undated photographs of Bossi in captivity were sent through cell phone to his friend Spanish priest Angel Calvo in Zamboanga City.
The military said a former Basilan town mayor was the source of the photos. It was unclear how the former official was able to get the photos.
Philippine authorities were investigating the authenticity of the photos, all showing Bossi sitting on a boulder surrounded by young trees. One photograph showed Bossi holding a transistor radio.
PIME said it has no contact with the kidnappers. Bossi is the third Italian priest kidnapped in the past year in the southern Philippines.
Rogue MILF rebels kidnapped Father Luciano Benedetti, 52, in Zamboanga del Norte province in 1998 and held for nearly 10 weeks until he was freed in exchange for a huge government ransom.
In 2001, renegade MILF rebels and members of the bandit group called Pentagon Gang also snatched Father Giuseppe Pierantoni as the 44-year-old from Bologna said mass in the parish church of Dimataling town in Zamboanga del Sur.
The priest was freed after six months in captivity in exchange for an unspecified ransom, but he claimed to have escaped from his kidnappers.
Benedetti now has been following developments in the Bossi kidnapping case closely from the start, from the regional house of PIME in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
RP Troops Searching For Kidnapped Italian Missioner Clash With Abu Sayyaf, MILF
BASILAN ISLAND(Mindanao Examiner / 10 Jul) – Philippine troops tracking down a kidnapped Italian Catholic priest clashed Tuesday with hundreds of suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the southern island of Basilan, officials said.
One soldier was killed and two more were injured in the fighting that erupted at around 10 a.m. in the town of Al-Barka, said Marine Colonel Ramiro Alivio, the island’s military chief.
He said the soldiers were checking reports that Father Giancarlo Bossi, kidnapped on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was sighted in the town. The report turned out to be false.
“Troops were verifying reports that Father Bossi was spotted in the area, but it turned out negative. Our forces were returning to base when they came under fire and fighting broke out,” Alivio told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said as the fighting raged, the number of gunmen was also swelling until it reached 500.
Military intelligence sources in Basilan said as many as 7 militants were killed and wounded in the fighting, but there could be more casualties as battle continued well into the night.
It said MILF forces in Basilan have sided with the Abu Sayyaf group and fought against government troops.
Acting Filipino Defense chief Norberto Gonzales has told Margherita Boniver, special envoy of the Italian government, that the 57-year old priest from Milan is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.
Boniver, who was in the Philippines last week, expressed caution about Abu Sayyaf.
“There are other theories about the kidnappers, for example, the head of the army mentioned former members of the Islamic Liberation Front,” she said.
Bossi’s group, the Rome-based Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere, doubted the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda terror network is holding the priest.Philippine military and police officials have tagged Akiddin Abdusallam, a rogue leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as mastermind in the kidnapping.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group has denied involvement in the kidnapping, but said Bossi’s captors were demanding “tens of millions of pesos” in ransom.
Last week, three undated photographs of Bossi in captivity were sent through cell phone to his friend Spanish priest Angel Calvo in Zamboanga City.
Military sources said a former Basilan town mayor was the source of the photos. It was unclear how the former official was able to get the photos.
Philippine authorities were investigating the authenticity of the photos, all showing Bossi sitting on a boulder surrounded by young trees. One photograph showed Bossi holding a transistor radio.
PIME said it has no contact with the kidnappers. Bossi is the third Italian priest kidnapped in the past year in the southern Philippines.
Rogue MILF rebels kidnapped Father Luciano Benedetti, 52, in Zamboanga del Norte province in 1998 and held for nearly 10 weeks until he was freed in exchange for a huge government ransom.
In 2001, renegade MILF rebels and members of the bandit group called Pentagon Gang also snatched Father Giuseppe Pierantoni as the 44-year-old from Bologna said mass in the parish church of Dimataling town in Zamboanga del Sur.
The priest was freed after six months in captivity in exchange for an unspecified ransom, but he claimed to have escaped from his kidnappers.
Benedetti now has been following developments in the Bossi kidnapping case closely from the start, from the regional house of PIME in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
One soldier was killed and two more were injured in the fighting that erupted at around 10 a.m. in the town of Al-Barka, said Marine Colonel Ramiro Alivio, the island’s military chief.
He said the soldiers were checking reports that Father Giancarlo Bossi, kidnapped on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was sighted in the town. The report turned out to be false.
“Troops were verifying reports that Father Bossi was spotted in the area, but it turned out negative. Our forces were returning to base when they came under fire and fighting broke out,” Alivio told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said as the fighting raged, the number of gunmen was also swelling until it reached 500.
Military intelligence sources in Basilan said as many as 7 militants were killed and wounded in the fighting, but there could be more casualties as battle continued well into the night.
It said MILF forces in Basilan have sided with the Abu Sayyaf group and fought against government troops.
Acting Filipino Defense chief Norberto Gonzales has told Margherita Boniver, special envoy of the Italian government, that the 57-year old priest from Milan is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.
Boniver, who was in the Philippines last week, expressed caution about Abu Sayyaf.
“There are other theories about the kidnappers, for example, the head of the army mentioned former members of the Islamic Liberation Front,” she said.
Bossi’s group, the Rome-based Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere, doubted the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda terror network is holding the priest.Philippine military and police officials have tagged Akiddin Abdusallam, a rogue leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as mastermind in the kidnapping.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group has denied involvement in the kidnapping, but said Bossi’s captors were demanding “tens of millions of pesos” in ransom.
Last week, three undated photographs of Bossi in captivity were sent through cell phone to his friend Spanish priest Angel Calvo in Zamboanga City.
Military sources said a former Basilan town mayor was the source of the photos. It was unclear how the former official was able to get the photos.
Philippine authorities were investigating the authenticity of the photos, all showing Bossi sitting on a boulder surrounded by young trees. One photograph showed Bossi holding a transistor radio.
PIME said it has no contact with the kidnappers. Bossi is the third Italian priest kidnapped in the past year in the southern Philippines.
Rogue MILF rebels kidnapped Father Luciano Benedetti, 52, in Zamboanga del Norte province in 1998 and held for nearly 10 weeks until he was freed in exchange for a huge government ransom.
In 2001, renegade MILF rebels and members of the bandit group called Pentagon Gang also snatched Father Giuseppe Pierantoni as the 44-year-old from Bologna said mass in the parish church of Dimataling town in Zamboanga del Sur.
The priest was freed after six months in captivity in exchange for an unspecified ransom, but he claimed to have escaped from his kidnappers.
Benedetti now has been following developments in the Bossi kidnapping case closely from the start, from the regional house of PIME in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, July 05, 2007
RP Troops Kill 2 Sayyaf Terrorists
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jul) – Two Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network, were killed in clash with security forces on Thursday in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, officials said.
Officials said one of those killed was believed to be a local commander. The fighting erupted in the village of Bohe Bessey in Akbar town after marine troops clashed with about 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen.
“Two Abu Sayyafs are killed and one of them was a local terrorist leader Panjang Mohammad,” Colonel Ramiro Alivio, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade on the island, told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
Colonel Alivio said troops recovered three Abu Sayyaf rifles in the village. There were no reports of military casualties, he said.
The operation, he said, was part of campaign to rid the island of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Army Lieutenant General Eugenio Cedo, a regional military chief, said they have mounted a new offensive dubbed Oplan: Ultimatum on July 1 against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya on nearby island of Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago.
The offensive is aimed at capturing senior Abu Sayyaf leaders headed by its Yasser Igasan and two Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek, tagged as behind the deadly Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people.
Jolo island, about 950 kms south of Manila, is being used as a springboard for terror attacks by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya, blamed by Filipino authorities for the spate of bombings on the troubled, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. (Juley Reyes and Juan Magtanggol)
Officials said one of those killed was believed to be a local commander. The fighting erupted in the village of Bohe Bessey in Akbar town after marine troops clashed with about 30 Abu Sayyaf gunmen.
“Two Abu Sayyafs are killed and one of them was a local terrorist leader Panjang Mohammad,” Colonel Ramiro Alivio, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade on the island, told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
Colonel Alivio said troops recovered three Abu Sayyaf rifles in the village. There were no reports of military casualties, he said.
The operation, he said, was part of campaign to rid the island of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Army Lieutenant General Eugenio Cedo, a regional military chief, said they have mounted a new offensive dubbed Oplan: Ultimatum on July 1 against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya on nearby island of Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago.
The offensive is aimed at capturing senior Abu Sayyaf leaders headed by its Yasser Igasan and two Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek, tagged as behind the deadly Bali bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people.
Jolo island, about 950 kms south of Manila, is being used as a springboard for terror attacks by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya, blamed by Filipino authorities for the spate of bombings on the troubled, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. (Juley Reyes and Juan Magtanggol)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
1st Marine Brigade Celebrates Founding Day In Basilan Island
1st Marine Brigade 32nd Foundation Day in Basilan island. (Photos contributed to the Mindanao Examiner by the 1st Marine Brigade)BASILAN ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Jul) - The 1st Marine Brigade celebrated its 32nd Founding Anniversary with humanitarian mission that benefited hundreds of civilians in poor communities in Basilan island in the southern Philippines.
Brigade chief Col. Ramiro Alivio said the celebration on Monday was honored by the presence of dozens of government and military officials. He said Rear Admiral Emilio Marayag Jr., was the guest of honor and speaker during the three-day celebration held in Isabela City.
Ramiro and his deputy, Lt. Col. Mario Montejo, led soldiers to a tree planting activity on Monday in the village of Panunsulan in Isabela City which was attended by Isabela Water District (ISAWAD) officials headed by its general manager Aleli Almodovar and students from the Basilan National High School and other local nongovernmental organizations.
“We have planted some 500 assorted seedlings in consonance with the project of Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Green Philippines or Berdeng Pilipinas Program,” Ramiro told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
He said they also held free circumcision to young villagers from Tabiawan, Busay and Calavrio and was held inside the marine headquarters. Dr Nilo Barandino was among those who participate in the operation.
The 1st Marine Brigade, in coordination with the Philippine National Red Cross, Zamboanga and Basilan Chapters headed by Roseller Rojas and Jonathan Cabayao also held a blood drive.
“The group was able to extricate 13, 500 cc of fresh blood donated by 29 volunteers from the officers and enlisted personnel of the unit headed by Maj. Pablo Manarin.It is traditional in the Marine Corps that every time the unit celebrates its founding anniversary, volunteer and qualified marines will donate blood to PNRC to help those who may be in need and who could not afford to acquire from a commercial blood bank,” Ramiro said.
On Monday, soldiers and civilian gun owners participated a shooting competition sponsored by Ramiro at the 1st Marine Brigade Firing Range and headquarters of the Marine Battalion Landing Teams 6 Firing Range.
“The main objective of the activity is to foster camaraderie and maintain good rapport with the constituents,” he said.
The main event of the celebration, Ramiro said, was Catholic mass held at the headquarters 1st Marine Brigade. It was officiated by Rev. Filemon Libot, President of the Claret College of Isabela.
It was followed by the blessing of the newly constructed Headquarters and Service Company and an armory.
“An awarding ceremony was conducted with the deserving personnel as recipients. After which the launching and blessing of the newly constructed speed boat followed at Tabiawan wharf. This is in line with our effort to enhance fleet-marine concept of operations, enhance rapid deployment, rescue and evacuation,” Ramiro said.
Marayag and several guests went for its maiden run along the Basilan Strait, he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, June 08, 2007
3 Killed In Basilan Island Ambush
BASILAN ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 07 June) – Three people were killed in ambush Thursday in Lamitan town in Basilan island off the southern port city of Zamboanga, officials said.
Officials said the attack killed a father and his two sons near the village of Lumoton. The trio was traveling on a motorcycle when unidentified gunmen ambushed them.
“We have sent forces to help police track down the attackers,” Colonel Ramiro Alivio, commander of the Philippine Marines 1st Marine Brigade on the island.
He said troops put up roadblocks and more checkpoints in Basilan, a former stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
Police is still investigating the motive of the attack. Investigators recovered dozens of empty shells of rifle bullets.
The victims were supporters of the local mayor Roderick Furigay.
It was unknown if the attack had anything to do with politics or clan war. Vengeance killing is common on the island between warring clans. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said the attack killed a father and his two sons near the village of Lumoton. The trio was traveling on a motorcycle when unidentified gunmen ambushed them.
“We have sent forces to help police track down the attackers,” Colonel Ramiro Alivio, commander of the Philippine Marines 1st Marine Brigade on the island.
He said troops put up roadblocks and more checkpoints in Basilan, a former stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
Police is still investigating the motive of the attack. Investigators recovered dozens of empty shells of rifle bullets.
The victims were supporters of the local mayor Roderick Furigay.
It was unknown if the attack had anything to do with politics or clan war. Vengeance killing is common on the island between warring clans. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
RP, US Marines Exchange Mementos, Plaques
Philippine Marines 1st Brigade commander, the decorated Col. Ramiro Alivio with Lt. Col. Imelda Dalupang receive and exchange plaques and mementos with United States Navy Capt. Michael McNamara in Basilan island, where Filipino and American troops are participating in a joint amphibious training called CARAT 2007.
CARAT, a regularly scheduled series of bilateral military training exercises with several Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries, is designed to enhance interoperability of the U.S. sea services, and those of friends and allies throughout the region in a variety of mission areas of mutual benefit.
The CARAT task group is made up of the guided-missile cruiser USS Vincennes (CG 49), dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), guided-missile frigate USS Curts (FFG 38), rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard (ARS 50) and the 400-strong MAGTF, Landing Force Carat, embarked in the task group.
During the various phases of CARAT, which include exercises with the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia, training is scheduled in skill areas such as at-sea maneuvering and communications, command and control, diving and salvage, and amphibious operations.
The specific focus of training and the specific CARAT task group elements participating in each exercise phase will vary based on training goals.
A variety of seminars are also scheduled, as are social events that give exercise participants a chance to develop personal relationships so critical to combined operations. Sailors and Marines take time during each CARAT phase to participate in civil affairs, medical and community service projects.
A joint medical, dental, veterinary and engineering civic action program was conducted in the villages of Kaumpurnah and Lower Mahayahay in Basilan this week.
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