6°29′51″N 122°7′7″E / 6.49750°N 122.11861°E / 6.49750; 122.11861
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| 2007 Basilan beheading incident | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Islamic insurgency in the Philippines | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 MILF Suspected Abu Sayyaf | |||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
 Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio | Various MILF commanders. | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 50 marines | About 400 combatants | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
14–23 dead (11 beheaded) 9 wounded | 20 dead | ||||
| Moro conflict | |
|---|---|
| (1967–1999)
(2000–2010)
(2011–present) |
The 2007 Basilan beheading incident was an armed incident that took place in July 2007 between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and the Philippine Army. The incident led to the execution of 14 or 23 members of the Philippine Marines; amongst them 11 were beheaded in the province of Basilan, which is located within the southern Philippines.
Background
On June 10, 2007, the Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), was kidnapped in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province. His captors were believed to be either renegade MILF members or Abu Sayyaf.
His captors released photographs of Bossi that showed him to be alive and well, but they failed to negotiate a solution with the Philippine government. Early operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were concentrated on Zamboanga Sibugay, in the belief that the captors had not left the province.
Bossi survived the kidnapping, after being freed on 19th July, 2007.
Operations in Basilan
On July 10, 2007, according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, violence broke out at Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, a known Moro region, when Marines entered the town. Lieutenant Col. Ariel Caculitan, spokesman for the Philippine Marines, said the death toll of the Marines was 23 (some document say the location of the encounter was at Al-Barka a new municipality established by Islamic soldiers at Tipo-Tipo).
During the firefight, which lasted a day, at least 20 armed militants were killed, and seven others were wounded. MILF soldiers which later scoured the area after the firefight found 11 headless corpses of Marines. Aside from the beheaded remains, the MILF also recovered 27 firearms. Among the firearms recovered were six M60 machine guns, eight M203 grenade launchers, ten M-16 Armalite rifles, a 60-mm mortar, and several night vision goggles.
Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio, chief of 1st Marine Brigade, said that aside from the MILF, the guerrillas consisted of Abu Sayyaf, and other rebel groups.
However, the Philippine Army said the Abu Sayyaf were not present in the region where Bossi was captured. The official government death toll was 14, although Philippine newspapers says 23 soldiers were dead on the Marines' side.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front stated "the Marines entered the MILF territory in the town of Tipo-Tipo in complete disregard of the ceasefire agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Philippine government".
Reaction
Matthew Lussenhop, United States press attaché in Manila, remarked that "It's a tragic incident. The United States embassy condoles with the families of killed, and wounded soldiers although it's still not clear to us what really happened".
References
- "(UPDATE 5) 14 Marines killed in Basilan clash - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
- ^ "14 Marines killed in Basilan clash: MILF owns up to ambush" Archived 2013-12-04 at the Wayback Machine by Jeoffrey Maitem, Julie Alipala, and Joel Guinto. Inquirer.net. July 11, 2007.
- "PIME missionary Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, former kidnapping victim in Philippines, has died". asianews.it. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "MILF admits attack against Marines, says 23 troops dead" GMANews.tv. July 11, 2007.
- "Rebels behead Philippine troops". BBCNews.com. July 11, 2007.
- "MILF: Marines disregarded ceasefire treaty". GMANews.TV. July 11, 2007.
- "US condoles with kin of slain Marines in search of Bossi". GMANews.TV. July 11, 2007.
| Militant Islamism in Southeast Asia | |
|---|---|
| Ideology | |
| Phenomena | |
| Organisations |
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| Leaders | |
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- 2007 murders in the Philippines
- 21st century in Basilan
- Hostage taking in the Philippines
- Islamic terrorist incidents in 2007
- Islamism-related beheadings
- July 2007 events in the Philippines
- Moro conflict
- Terrorist incidents in the Philippines in 2007
- Mass murder in 2007
- 21st-century mass murder in the Philippines
- Crime in Mindanao
- July 2007 crimes