MANILA: Five soldiers have been arrested for looting during a lengthy battle against Muslim guerrillas, a military spokesman said yesterday, in the first such disciplinary action in recent memory.
The soldiers were seen looting on September 20 while their comrades were battling Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members who had occupied parts of the port city of Zamboanga for over two weeks, said Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala.
“Soldiers reported fellow soldiers looting... and this was received by higher headquarters. The chief of staff ordered them arrested and investigated,” he said.
The objects looted, including a firearm and “personal items”, were returned to owners. “It doesn’t matter, even though they are involved in the fight... if what they were doing was wrong,” he added. Security forces have long been criticised for abuses, with troops rarely punished for misdeeds on the battlefield.
Hundreds of soldiers and policemen have been engaged in combat in Zamboanga City since September 9 when about 200 MNLF members entered the city in the most serious armed challenge to the government in recent years.
Fifteen soldiers and policemen have been killed along with 104 MNLF members, police said. Scores of MNLF fighters have been arrested or surrendered but others are still at large, holding civilians as human shields.
In Zamboanga City, MG-520 attack helicopters and an SF-260 airplane fired rockets and machine guns at a mangrove swamp where MNLF members were believed to be hiding. Navy ships also fired on the swamp but it was not clear if they had hit anyone, witnesses said.
AFP
