Air Force: Air strike didn't kill 6 civilians in south
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The Philippine Air Force (PAF) denied Monday reports that a military airstrike caused the deaths of six civilians in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
At least six civilians, including a pregnant woman and three children, were reportedly killed on Monday when PAF planes strafed and bombed Muslim rebel positions in the area.
PAF spokesperson Maj. Gerardo Zamudio said the alleged dropping of a bomb by an air force OV-10 in Barangay Tee early Monday did not happen.
Zamudio said the OV-10 did fly over the area as support for ground troops fighting with a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The OV-10, he said, was targeted by enemy fire, and in retaliation, the plane did not drop a bomb, but fired a machine gun instead.
Zamudio added the OV-10 did not carry any bomb, part of their observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
He, however, said the plane did carry a rocket, and was unsure if the pilot used the rocket during the incident.
CHR bothered by increasing civilian deaths
The Commission of Human Rights (CHR) said they are bothered by the increasing number of civilians dying in the conflict.
Data from the CHR said more than a hundred civilians have either been killed or injured by stray bullets or bombs in the conflict in Central Mindanao.
Because of this, CHR Commissioner Laila de Lima said the military should first ensure civilians are evacuated before launching air strikes and other combat missions so that the movement and safety of civilians can be properly monitored.
Army helicopters and planes attacked rebel positions near a marshland after renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had fired at helicopters searching for rebels on the southern island of Mindanao, army officials said.
Musib Uy Tan, a local official, told reporters the civilians had been on their way to a temporary shelter area when their boat was hit by rockets fired from helicopter gunships. "The boat was a total wreck," Tan said, adding that the bodies of a 53-year old farmer and his family, including a pregnant 17-year old girl, had been pulled from the water.
Colonel Marlou Salazar, an army brigade commander, said he was unaware of civilian casualties but reported that seven MILF rebels had been killed in the air strikes.
But army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Julieto Ando said collateral damage in armed encounters was possible.
"We're investigating that incident now," Ando told reporters. With reports from Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News, and Manny Mogato, Reuters
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