MANILA, Philippines — The military aircraft that launched the air strike that killed 11 soldiers in Marawi City last Wednesday ran out of precision-guided munitions, forcing the pilots to drop ordinary and less accurate bombs, a Cabinet official said Thursday.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a conventional bomb hit government forces, resulting in the death of the 11 soldiers and the wounding of seven others.
“We still have some precision-guided munitions na pagka pinakawalan ‘yan talagang kung saan naka — naka-indicate na area, pupunta doon (that will really hit the indicated targets). But medyo naubusan na tayo niyan (we ran out of that),” the Defense chief said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
“They are now using conventional bombs and if you commit a mistake, either you will release it in advance or the release will be delayed then you will not hit the target,” he added.
Lorenzana said the first aircraft “hit the target squarely” but the second one dropped the bomb on the government forces.
“We do not yet know what happened. We are still investigating,” he said.
Asked how the incident would affect the morale of soldiers and their families, Lorenzana said: “Of course, it will be very sad, very painful to the soldiers. They will wonder why their comrades hit them.”
“But we will just have to explain to them that accidents happen and also to the family, we will try to assuage the sorrows of the families of those who were killed,” he added.
Lorenzana said he has ordered the military to investigate the incident. He said it was the first time the Air Force encountered such an accident.
He said the military may also suspend the conduct of airstrikes while the investigation is taking place.
‘No assurance Hapilon will be captured’
Despite the airstrikes and the relentless military operations, Lorenzana admitted that there is no assurance that wanted terrorist and Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon would be captured.
“It's very hard to give an assurance because he's only one person and although we know his face, he can always blend there and he has a lot of supporters also and they can keep him there,” Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana said security forces could not capture Hapilon when he was in Basilan.
“Basilan is a very small area but we could not capture him there and he went to Lanao Sur, a bigger area and (he has) more people (there) to keep him secure… But we will try our best to capture him or neutralize him,” the Defense chief said.
Hapilon is said to be the leader of the extremist group Islamic State in the Philippines.
He was indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged participation in terrorist acts against Americans and other foreign nationals in and around the Philippines, according to the website of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States has offered a $5-million cash reward for his capture.
Lorenzana said the Marawi siege, which prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao, was a product of a “big plan.”
He said the military has captured a video of Omar and Abdulla Maute and Hapilon talking about their plot to attack the city.
“There was a map there in front of them, there are diagrams (and they are talking about) what they will do,” Lorenzana said.
“It’s a big plan to take over Marawi City,” he added.