FILE PHOTO. Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesperson of Joint Task Force Marawi (Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Two government troops were killed while 11 were wounded in Marawi City after a bomb missed its target during an airstrike Wednesday noon.
Joint Task Force Marawi Spokesperson Lt. Col. Joar Herrera said investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances following an incident where an ordnance missed its target during an airstrike conducted at about 12 noon today.
Based on the initial report the bomb was 250 meters off target hitting a nearby structure.
Herrera said two government troops died while 11 others sustained minor shrapnel injuries after the explosion.
“The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures. Large debris from heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two of our personnel who succumbed to death in the process,” he said.
“Cognizant units from the AFP have formed a group that is now conducting initial investigations to determine the cause of the mishap and prevent the chances of it reoccurring,” Herrera added.
This is the second incident where soldiers were killed in a friendly fire. In May, 10 soldiers were also killed by a military airstrike. As of July 12 at least 90 government is recorded killed in action in Marawi.
Herrera assured the families of the troops that they will attend to their needs.
“We are saddened by this unfortunate incident. We are attending to the needs of the families of our troops who died or were hurt,” he said.(davaotoday.com)
