Tulawie said the military had declared the incident as “a legitimate military operation” against the Abu Sayyaf, claiming that the attack on the house in Tandu Bato was based on intelligence information they had gathered that said the bandits had scheduled a gathering there that day.
The incident, Tulawie said, had struck fear in the hearts of residents. “People have told me that they fear that they could now be targets of military attacks on mere suspicion that they welcomed the Abu Sayyaf in their villages,” Tulawie said.
The second incident that day happened minutes after the Tandu Bato incident, when a Tamaraw mini-bus was allegedly shot at by the Marines along the main road between the villages of Timpok and Pansul. Five of the eight persons inside the vehicle were killed, Tulawie said.
The fatalities were Muammal Julali, 35, the owner and driver of the vehicle; his 12-year-old son Rodimar; Kaddam Usman, 50, and his son Taib, 21; and one Jun Samsola, 30. The two Usmans were likewise MNLF members.
According to testimonies that Tulawie said he and his human-rights group, the Jaga Lupa Sug, had gathered, the young Usman left Tandu Bato, the site of the previous incident, looking for his father Kaddam.
When told by his son of the Tandu Bato shooting, the elder Usman feared for their safety so he decided instead that they should go to downtown Jolo for the time being. They then boarded the mini-bus.
For reasons that Tulawie could not yet ascertain, Julali, the driver, did not stop at the Marine checkpoint along the road. The soldiers, he said, fired on the vehicle.
That same afternoon, Jaynaltul, learning of the death of the Usmans, angrily stormed the Marine camp and was shot even before he could be near the gate, Tulawie said. Jaynaltul later died in Tandu Bato.
One of the mini-bus passengers named Walki Atloih was taken by the Marines after the incident. Two others who were in the Tamaraw vehicle who survived were only identified as Makdoni, 19, and Datu Otsoy.
Tulawie said Atloih has been with the military since the incident and has issued statements saying that the five persons killed in the vehicle were members of the Abu Sayyaf and that he himself was also a member of the group.
Tulawie said residents of Patikul have told him that they had known Atloih to be a person close to the Marines and that he was often seen drinking with the soldiers.
In fact, Tulawie said, Atloih has often done chores and errands for Filipino and American troops in Sulu, such as doing construction and other menial jobs inside the military camps. Atloih, according to Tulawie, is said to be close to the young Usman.
But residents, Tulawie said, could attest that the Usmans were members of the MNLF. In fact, Tulawie said, they had appointment papers signed by no less than MNLF chairman Nur Misuari himself.
The families of the victims have reportedly sought the help of the MNLF leader in Sulu, Ustadz Khabbir Malik.
Hundreds of US military personnel have been stationed in Sulu, helping Filipino troops defeat the Abu Sayyaf and implementing what the US government had called livelihood projects. (See boxed item). (Cheryll D. Fiel/davaotoday.com)
[tags]davao today, sulu, jolo, abu sayyaf, jemaah islamiyah, terrorism, gloria macapagal arroyo, terrorism, US military, mindanao, philippins, philippine military, MNLF[/tags]
Terrorism
