2007 Basilan beheading incident

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Encounter at Tipo-Tipo
partof=Islamic insurgency in the Philippines


caption=
date=July 10, 2007 – July 11, 2007
place=Tipo-Tipo, Philippines
casus=
territory=
result=Philippine retreat
combatant1=flagicon|Philippines Philippine Marines
combatant2=
commander1=flagicon|Philippines Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio
commander2= various MILF commanders
strength1=50 marines
strength2=about 400 combatants
casualties1=14 dead, 9 wounded
casualties2="several"On July 10-11, 2007, Islamic militants, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, killed 14 members of the Philippine Marines, beheading 10 of them, on the Philippine island-province of Basilan.

Background: The Bossi kidnapping

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 either to be renegade MILF members (the "lost command") or Abu Sayyaf bandits. [http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view_article.php?article_id=75990 14 Marines killed in Basilan clash: MILF owns up to ambush] by Jeoffrey Maitem, Julie Alipala, Joel Guinto. Inquirer.net]

His captors have released photographs of Bossi as alive and well but has not communicated with government negotiators for their demands. The prior operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were concentrated on Zamboanga Sibugay, believing the captors haven't left the province.

Operations in Basilan

On July 10, according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, violence broke out at Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, a known MILF stronghold, when Marines entered the town. Lieutenant Col. Ariel Caculitan, spokesman for the Philippine Marines, said the death toll of the Marines was 14 [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/50524/MILF-admits-attack-against-Marines-says-23-troops-dead MILF admits attack against Marines, says 23 troops dead] GMANews.tv] (some sources say the location of the encounter was at Al-Barka a new municipality carved out from Tipo-Tipo).

During the firefight, which lasted a day, four guerrillas were killed and seven others were wounded. MILF forces which later scoured the area after the firefight found 10 headless corpses of Marines. Aside from the beheaded remains, MILF forces recovered "27 firearms were recovered from the scene. These are: six M60 machine guns; eight M203 grenade launchers, 10 M-16 Armalite rifles, a 60-mm mortar, and several night vision goggles."

Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio, chief of 1st Marine Brigade, said that aside from the MILF, the guerrillas consisted of Abu Sayyaf and other "lawless elements".

However, army sources said the Abu Sayyaf were not present in the area where Bossi was captured. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6290302.stm Rebels behead Philippine troops] BBCNews.com] The official government death toll was 14, although Iqbal says 23 were dead on the Marines' side.

MILF information officer Abu Majid said that "We have all the mechanism of the ceasefire that allows no errors for coordination and to prevent this kind of unfortunate incident."Fact|date=July 2007 The MILF website posted a message saying "the Marines entered the MILF area in Tipo-Tipo town 'in complete disregard of the ceasefire agreement between the MILF and the government'." [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/50547/MILF-Marines-disregarded-ceasefire-treaty MILF: Marines disregarded ceasefire treaty] GMANews.TV]

Reactions

Matthew Lussenhop, United States press attaché in Manila, remarked that "It's a tragic incident. The embassy condoles (with) the famil(ies) of killed and wounded soldiers although it's still not clear to us what really happened". [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/50563/US-condoles-with-kin-of-slain-Marines-in-search-of-Bossi US condoles with kin of slain Marines in search of Bossi] GMANews.TV]

References