Not yet off the hook in the massacre of eight civilians in Maimbung, Sulu on February 4, the military establishment has suffered another credibility letdown when it comes to determining who and what really caused the March 1 bomb explosion in front of a military camp in Jolo, the capital of Sulu.
Jolo Mayor Hussin Amin is calling for the conduct of an independent probe of that bomb blast that killed six people, two of whom were soldiers and four women.
The bomb ripped through a bar in front of Camp General Teodulfo Bautista, which houses the military’s joint Task Force Comet in Jolo, Sulu, Saturday night.
Asked who would spearhead the investigation, Amin said a third party should conduct the independent probe to determine the real cause of the incident, which analysts said is an indication that he does not trust the military in the investigation.
Both the governor of Sulu and mayor of Maimbung municipality disputed the findings of the military absolving members of the 3rd Light Reaction Company and Naval Special Warfare Action Group of any accountability to the massacre.AFP Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) Chief Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga said the investigation showed that the houses bore no bullet holes from the operating troops’ firing direction but the hails of bullets came from the mangrove where the gunmen were believed to have positioned.He said the troops have “clearly recognized the civilian position during the pre-dawn military operation”. “The troops were only about five meters or shoulder tapping distance when four civilians shouted they were civilians and the troops did not fire. That means the civilians were heard by the operating troops,” Allaga said.
Allaga hinted that if the troops, considering the close distance, have fired at the 17 occupants in the clusters of houses they would have been killed. Initial findings of the police and military showed that the latest explosion was the handiwork of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits based on the type of explosive that was used.
The attack last Saturday was the second that took place in front of Camp Bautista, the headquarters of the military troops in Jolo.
The first was on February 18, 2006 wherein the Abu Sayyaf bombed a bar in front of Camp Bautista that killed one person and wounded 28 others.
However, some residents of Sulu doubted the initial findings on the latest bombing, saying the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is the favorite whipping boy of the military whenever incident like this happens.
Amin said getting into the real cause of the incident would prevent similar bomb attacks in the future.He said he would order the inspection of all bars operating in his town, especially those located outside Camp Bautista, to ensure that they operate legally.
He advised all bar owners operating in his town to be security conscious to prevent occurrence of similar incidents that would result to loss of lives and destruction of properties. (luwaran.com)
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