US Helicopter Attacked In Southern Philippines

A US helicopter maneuvers on the deck of the USNS Mercy on Monday, June 9, 2008 as it brings patients from Cotabato City near Maguindanao province. The US Navy says the helicopter was attacked after it found two bullet holes on the MH-6o chopper as it returned to the ship's deck. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 10, 2008) – A US MH-60 helicopter was fired at while on a humanitarian mission in the southern Philippines, reports said Tuesday.

The chopper, operating from the USNS Mercy hospital ship anchored off Maguindanao province, returned to deck with two bullet holes in the tail rotor, according to CNN, which quoted a US Navy report.

The crew had been unaware of the bullet strikes during the flight. The attack on the aircraft prompted the USNS Mercy to suspend humanitarian operations.

“The holes appear to be an entry and exit point from a single bullet,” said Cmdr. Jeff A. Davis, a US Navy spokesman.

There were no reports of injuries and the US Navy did not know when the shots were fired at the helicopter which returned to the ship after picking up 11 passengers from a site 50 miles near Cotabato City.

An MH-60 helicopter operating from USNS Mercy hospital ship had gone to pick up 11 passengers about 50 miles inland, and two bullet holes were found when the aircraft returned to the ship with the passengers.

US and Philippine military officials in the Philippines did not issue any statement about the attack. American and Filipino military commanders in the southern Philippines usually keep secret such incidents to the local media. In 2001, rebels in Basilan island also attacked a US helicopter transporting American soldiers training local troops in anti-terrorism warfare.

No groups or individuals claimed responsibility for the attack, but several rebel groups, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and New People’s Army, are operating in Mindanao.

The MILF on Tuesday condemned the attack and said it would investigate the incident. “We condemn the attack. The helicopter is on a humanitarian mission benefiting thousands of Muslims, including MILF patients and we will help authorities determine who is behind the attack on the helicopter,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said many armed groups are operating in areas where the USNS Mercy is holding humanitarian missions. “There are many armed groups in the area, from private armies of politicians to criminal gangs,” he said.

The USNS Mercy, which arrived last month, is on a two-week medical mission in the restive southern region of Mindanao, where where Filipino troops are battling Abu Sayyaf militants and communist insurgents. Both groups have previously attacked US targets in the southern Philippines.

Aside from the medical missions, the USNS Mercy is also supporting dental, veterinary, and construction assistance programs ashore at select locations in Mindanao. US and Filipino soldiers will also work together to build schools and roads as part of engineering civic action program.

It is the first time the USNS Mercy sailed to Mindanao. In June 2006, the 272.5-meter-long USNS Mercy also held a month-long series of medical missions in Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces. The USNS Mercy was also in the Philippines in 1986 during a humanitarian mission. At least 25 percent of the ship's crew members are Filipino-Americans. (Mindanao Examiner)