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A
battalion of soldiers that were assigned to fight communist
rebels here in Bohol was sent to Jolo, Sulu to reinforce government
troops now conducting operations against the Abu Sayyaf.
The
15th Infantry Battalion was deployed to Sulu on Aug. 11.
The
troops, numbering from 600 to 700, were pulled out late last
month from their headquarters in Carmen town to augment forces
fighting in Sulu in the wake of the all-out military offensive
against the Abu Sayyaf following the beheading of 10 Marines
last July 10 in Basilan province.
VETERANS
Lt.
Col. Jefferson Omandam, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines Central Command (Centcom) based in Cebu, said
the 15th Infantry Battalion were first sent to the Army training
base in Jamindan, Capiz for combat retraining before they
were sent to Sulu on Aug. 11 on board a C-130 plane from the
Roxas City airport.
"They
were sent to Jolo, Sulu for the purpose of augmenting the
troops there … They are already in the ground and actually,
they are now conducting the operation as part of the larger
group," Omandam said.
Omandam
assured that the soldiers from the 15th IB have been properly
trained on combat operations.
Omandam
said these soldiers were also considered veterans, as they
had been involved in major combat operations before they were
assigned here in the province.
"The
15th IB has been existing for a long time and they had figured
with remarkable accomplishments in terms of combat operation
in Mindanao and in Samar," Omandam said.
Meanwhile,
Omandam yesterday confirmed that four of the 15 Marines who
were killed in a new round of encounter in Basilan last Saturday
came from the Visayas.
Omandam
said two of the fatalities came from Dumaguete City, one from
Leyte and one from Capiz.
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