Soldier dies in fresh Basilan ambush

MANILA — One soldier was declared dead on Friday following a fresh ambush on a military convoy in Basilan, according to the Philippine Army’s 1101st Infantry “Gagandilan” Brigade.

The armed attack by still unidentified men occurred Thursday night in Barangay Sabong, Lamitan City as troops from the Army’s 45th Infantry Battalion were returning to their unit aboard a six-by-six truck after picking up personnel from a local port.

Six other wounded Army personnel were evacuated from Lamitan District Hospital to Camp Navarro General Hospital, operated by the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City. They were already in stable condition and continued to receive medical attention.

Two civilians — a 10-year-old boy and his father — also sustained injuries in the crossfire.

The 1101st IB said it was still investigating the incident, while security measures were being undertaken to protect troops and nearby communities.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are being thoroughly assessed by the concerned authorities. Appropriate security measures are likewise undertaken to protect our troops and nearby communities,” the brigade said in a statement.

Thursday’s ambush followed a similar attack earlier this week in Barangay Badja, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, which left 13 soldiers wounded.

The earlier incident prompted Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Antonio Nafarrete to visit Basilan and Zamboanga on Tuesday, as the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) held only weeks earlier.

Teodoro, however, clarified that Monday’s incident had no connection to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or the ongoing peace process, describing it instead as a “pure law enforcement against narco-terrorism.”