Sinabi kahapon ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na sinimulan na ng militar ang imbestigasyon sa napaulat na kabilang ang dalawang sibilyan sa mga napatay sa engkuwentro sa Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) sa Inabanga, Bohol nitong Abril 11.
Ayon kay AFP Public Affairs Office chief Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo, ikinagulat ng militar ang natanggap nitong impormasyon na dalawa sa anim na nasawi sa sagupaan ay mag-asawang sibilyan.
“Actually, we in the Armed Forces of the Philippines were surprised to find out of the report that there were two people not part of the Abu Sayyaf killed as a result of the combat operations by the military and the Philippine National Police,” sinabi ni Arevalo sa mga mamamahayag sa press briefing sa Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City kahapon.
“What we in the AFP believes that when the operation was conducted there were no civilian left in that area because the people there were already evacuated. It is clear to us as it is always in the case in our conduct of focused military operations that it will be surgical and will be focus in just one area and the target personality,” dagdag ni Arevalo.
Ayon kay Arevalo, tatlo sa mga napatay na terorista ng ASG ang nakilala na.
“We cannot say that, there is a possibility that the Abu Sayyaf themselves killed the couple if they could have been suspected of being the one to have reported to the authorities the presence of the members of the Abu Sayyaf,” sabi pa ni Arevalo.
Kinilala naman ni Capt. Jojo Mascareñas, Civil Military Operations officer ng 302nd Brigade, ang mag-asawa na sina Constancio at Crisenta Petalco.
Ang mga napatay na terorista naman ay sina Muamar Askali, alyas “Abu Rami”; Edimar Isnain, alyas “Guruh Eddie”; at isang alyas “Abu Sufyan”. (Francis T. Wakefield)