The War In Sulu Claims Two American Lives!
(ABS-CBN PHOTO)
The stakes in the American military’s socio-civic involvement in the Philippines war zone in the deep South has gone up to a dangerous notch.
In what can be a game-changing development two American “Navy Seals” soldiers were killed this morning in the Abu Sayyaf-infested town of Indanan, Sulu as they “on board a U.S. Humvee and were supervising the construction of the five-kilometer Kagay to Langpas road when the blast occurred at about 8:30 a.m.”
Two other Filipino soldiers were hurt. (The New York Times is separately reporting one Filipino Marine died in the incident, too.)
Both the Philippine military are carefully coaching their confirmation of the targeting of the US unit as the casualties being “non-combatants.”
They were, in fact, members of the U.S. Seabees and they were there to supervise the developmental projects in the area when they were attacked,” according to AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr.
We would like to emphasize that they were not in combat and they were escorted and they were being secured by members of the Philippine Marines. (But) We don’t want to speculate on the perpetrators of this bombing.
It was admitted that a land mine, not an improvised explosive device fashioned out of mortar shells, was employed in today’s attack.
U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney:
They lost their lives serving others and we will always be grateful for their contributions to improve the quality of life on Jolo.
Tuesday’s blast was believed to be the first incident where American soldiers were killed since U.S. troops were deployed to the southern Philippines to help combat militants from the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group in 2002.
This IS ominous.
