JUST one week after his thanksgiving celebration in Basilan for his promotion as a one-star general, and also a few weeks after the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which many hoped would finally bring lasting peace in Mindanao, Brigadier General Carlito Galvez (AFP), head of the 104th Brigade in Basilan, is the first commander in Mindanao facing the first grueling test of the post-CAB signing.
At 2:25 this morning, April 11, 18 members of the Army Scout Rangers were wounded during a combat operation at the vicinity of del Baguindan and Kurrelem at the Municipality of Tipo-Tipo upon encountering an undetermined number of Abu Sayyaf members led by the notorious Furuji Indama, also the suspect in various kidnappings and extortion cases in Basilan.
The combat operations against lawless elements in Basilan, primary of which are the Abu Sayyaf Group, were launched in coordination with the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Philippine National Police.
Indama and his group are said to have been threatening and asking extortion money from the contractors of the Magkawa-Albarka Road.
Now on board the BRP Manobo of the Philippine Navy on my way to Basilan with members of the Civil-Military Affairs Battalion of the AFP Reserve Command and some members of media for a humanitarian mission, several relatives and friends have texted and called advising us to postpone our trip or to stay away from Tipo-Tipo Municipality which is merely 50 kilometers from the incident.
But just like any good and abiding soldier, the AFPRESCOM group is proceeding to the mission, also with great faith and confidence that newly-promoted Brigadier General Galvez, a battle-tested warrior, along with his men in the area, could ensure their safety amidst all the threats.
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