2007 Basilan beheading incident
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| 2007 Basilan beheading incident | |
|---|---|
| Part of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, Philippines |
MILF
Suspected Abu Sayyaf
Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio(11 beheaded)
9 wounded
The 2007 Basilan beheading incident was an armed incident in July 2007 between the
Background
On June 10, 2007, Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) was kidnapped in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province. His captors were believed to be renegade MILF members or Abu Sayyaf.[2]
His captors have released photographs of Bossi as alive and well, but failed to communicate with the Philippine government negotiators about any demands. Early operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were concentrated on Zamboanga Sibugay, in the belief that the captors had not left the province.
Bossi survived the kidnapping.[3]
Operations in Basilan
On July 10, 2007, according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, violence broke out at
During the firefight, which lasted a day, at least 20 armed militants were killed, and seven others were wounded. MILF soldiers which later scoured the area after the firefight found 11 headless corpses of Marines.[2] Aside from the beheaded remains, the MILF also recovered 27 firearms. Among the firearms recovered were six M60 machine guns, eight M203 grenade launchers, ten M-16 Armalite rifles, a 60-mm mortar, and several night vision goggles.[4]
Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio, chief of 1st Marine Brigade, said that aside from the MILF, the guerrillas consisted of Abu Sayyaf, and other rebel groups.[2]
However, the Philippine Army said the Abu Sayyaf were not present in the region where Bossi was captured.[5] The official government death toll was 14, although Philippine newspapers says 23 soldiers were dead on the Marines' side.[2]
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front stated "the Marines entered the MILF territory in the town of Tipo-Tipo in complete disregard of the ceasefire agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Philippine government".[6]
Reaction
Matthew Lussenhop, United States press attaché in Manila, remarked that "It's a tragic incident. The United States embassy condoles with the families of killed, and wounded soldiers although it's still not clear to us what really happened".[7]
References
- ^ "(UPDATE 5) 14 Marines killed in Basilan clash - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
- ^ a b c d e "14 Marines killed in Basilan clash: MILF owns up to ambush" Archived 2013-12-04 at the Wayback Machine by Jeoffrey Maitem, Julie Alipala, and Joel Guinto. Inquirer.net. July 11, 2007.
- ^ "PIME missionary Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, former kidnapping victim in Philippines, has died". asianews.it. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ a b "MILF admits attack against Marines, says 23 troops dead" GMANews.tv. July 11, 2007.
- ^ "Rebels behead Philippine troops". BBCNews.com. July 11, 2007.
- ^ "MILF: Marines disregarded ceasefire treaty". GMANews.TV. July 11, 2007.
- ^ "US condoles with kin of slain Marines in search of Bossi". GMANews.TV. July 11, 2007.