Military to probe ‘tactical error’ in Mindoro clash

The military is probing a tactical blunder that could have led to the death of 11 soldiers — the highest in the Southern Luzon Command in recent years — ambushed by suspected communist insurgents in Oriental Mindoro province on Saturday. “We will be conducting an investigation [to see] if there was possibly a tactical blunder in the operations," Southern Luzon Command head Lt. General Roland Detabali said in a phone interview, adding that they had deployed a reconnaissance team from Quezon province. A platoon of the 23rd Division Reconnaissance Company of the Philippine Army were conducting clearing operations when they were waylaid by suspected New People’s Army rebels in a mountainous area in Mansalay town. The soldiers, led by 2nd Lt. Ronnie Sipsip, exchanged fire with the suspected rebels for three hours. Eleven soldiers died on the spot, while seven others were injured. Detabali said Sipsip could have been remiss in supervising the movement of his men. He said the reconnaissance company should not have conducted the clearing operations in broad daylight. “They should be moving at night and should be observing [the NPA rebels] at daytime. Why were they moving when it was almost daytime?" Detabali said in Filipino. He added that battalion commander Lt. Col. Randy Sinocruz would also be investigated. — SMD/NPA, GMANews.TV