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Military may limit air strikes after troops' death in friendly fire

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Dharel Placido, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/29/airstrikes-rtr-052917.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter fires a rocket as they continue to assault the Maute group in Marawi City Monday. <cite>Erik De Castro, Reuters</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATE) – The military is considering limiting air strikes in besieged Marawi City after “friendly fire” <a href="http://ttp://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/01/17/several-soldiers-dead-hit-by-our-own-airstrike-says-defense-chief">killed</a><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/01/17/several-soldiers-dead-hit-by-our-own-airstrike-says-defense-chief"> </a>several soldiers on the ground, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.At least 10 soldiers died and 8 others were wounded on Wednesday after a fighter plane mistakenly dropped a bomb on a spot where several soldiers from the 4th and 15th Infantry Battalions were located.Lorenzana said the incident might prompt the military to limit its air strikes to aircraft which could deliver precision-guided munitions.The military launched the air strikes a week ago and described the operations as &quot;surgical.&quot;“...[S]iguro we have to limit the air strikes to the aircraft that can deliver accurately their ordnance,” Lorenzana told a press briefing in Malacañang. “The commanders are reviewing their SOPs (standard operating procedure), nire-review nila ’yung mga procedures para maiwasan natin ‘yan because it’s very, very... masakit eh. It’s very sad to be hitting our own troops,&quot; Lorenzana said. According to the defense chief, the first bomb hit its target accurately, while the second bomb unfortunately fell on the troops.“We are still investigating, conducting an investigation headed by the Chief of Staff what really happened, kung nagkaroon ba ng miscommunication or there was an error of somebody there on the ground or on the air, sa parte ng piloto,” he said. Lorenzana maintained that the air strike that killed the troops were still “surgical” in nature, even as he admitted that the aircraft that deployed the bombs, a Marchetti S-260, was only capable of delivering “ordinary” and “conventional” munitions. He also bared that the military’s supply of precision-guided munitions was limited.“...[M]edyo naubusan na tayo niyan and ‘yung ibang mga aircraft like the S-260, ‘yung Marchetti, they are now using conventional bombs na ‘pag hinulog nila - kung magkamali ka kasi ng hulog diyan, na ‘pag dive mo ng ganon at you go up and you either mapauna or mapa-delay ‘yung release mo, then you will not hit the target,” he said.The military is now close to solving the crisis in Marawi City as more state forces were deployed there to neutralize continuing resistance from terrorist group Maute and their local and foreign cohorts, Lorenzana said.Violence erupted in the city on May 23 after government troops attempted to arrest top Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.Hapilon, considered as the Islamic State’s point man in Southeast Asia, managed to evade arrest, but Lorenzana said the terror leader is believed to be still holed up in Marawi.More than 160 people, most them terrorists, have been <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/01/17/marawi-death-toll-hits-164-military">killed</a> since the clashes erupted on May 23. Mindanao remains under martial law amid continuing military operations.

MANILA – The military is considering limiting its air strikes in besieged Marawi City after “friendly fire” killed several soldiers on the ground, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.

MANILA – The military is considering limiting its air strikes in besieged Marawi City after “friendly fire” killed several soldiers on the ground, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.

Military may limit air strikes after troops' death in friendly fire

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Military may limit air strikes after troops' death in friendly fire

Dharel Placido,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 01, 2017 02:10 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 01, 2017 03:45 PM PHT

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Delfin Lorenzana

Maute Group

Abu Sayyaf Group

Marawi City

air strikes

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