AFP grounds FA-50 jets after two soldiers die in friendly fire
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) suspended the use of FA-50 fighter jets in the military operations in Marawi City after two soldiers were killed and 11 injured in a friendly fire incident occurred last Wednesday.
Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, said the aircraft will be grounded until government forces can determine the cause of the accident.
Twelve FA-50s jets were bought from Korea Aerospeace Industries, with its first delivery in November 2015 and the last this May.
“Related to this incident. the Armed Forces is suspending the use of that particular aircraft for any further air strike until such time that the cause of the accident has been determined, or the failure of the equipment has been determined,” said Padilla.
“Until such time that we are sure of the cause of one those bombs falling short of target will we then resume the use of that aircraft,”added Padilla..
Padilla said the military commander in the area can still use other aircraft. including the SF260 which was also involved in a friendly fire during the airstrike operation last May.
“The incident that happened yesterday however will not cancel out or prevent the use of any other aircraft other than this one (FA-50) for further air strikes so we can provide our troops the necessary support that they will need in terms of close air support, field artillery support, and other combat support that they will require so it’s still available to our commanders on the ground to employ the available aircraft minus this particular aircraft,” he said.
“The SF260 following the findings of the Board of Inquiry was already cleared for employment and it has been used for the air strike that have subsequently resumed after that incident, at the very start of June,” he added.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed his sympathy to the victims.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of lives resulting from this most unfortunate incident. We reach out to the families and loved ones of the soldiers who lost their lives, and pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured,” he said.
“What happened yesterday and last month, when several of our marines inadvertently perished because of a wayward ordnance dropped from an aircraft, reflect the harsh nature of urban warfare where soldiers operate in tight spaces and in close proximity to the enemy,” he added.
Lorenzana admitted retaking the remaining areas occupied by the terrorist group in the city remain a challenge to the government forces.
“The problems we face are the same as those confronted by other nations fighting terrorists in places like Mosul, Fallujah, and Raqqa,” he said.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is now reviewing and recalibrating its existing doctrines in order for the troops to adapt and respond to this evolving type of war. Admittedly, retaking the very last positions of the Maute-ISIS who are still in Marawi is proving to be a challenge,” he added.
“We have to operate with due consideration for the safety of the civilians who are still trapped in the area against enemies who know no rules, who use hostages as human shields and children as frontline fighters.”
Padilla emphasized the “success rate” of the FA-50 aircraft being used in Marawi operation after the SF 260 was temporarily grounded during the AFP investigation on the first friendly fire incident that killed 10 soldiers.
“Again on this incident I’d like to covey to you that the aircraft that has been used has had a very high success rate, of the almost 70 missions that was performed by the aircraft except for this incident all of their missions were dead on target, they hit their targets specific precision,” he said.
Unlike the first incident, Padilla noted the friendly fire last Wednesday did not directly hit the government troops.
“The difference between the first incident as I was discussing a while ago, the first incident of friendly fire had one of our bombs hitting our people directly, that is why there was a high number of casualties,” he said.
Despite the challenge being faced by government forces, Lorenzana assures that the military will not stop until it finally defeats the terrorists in southern Philippines.
“Our resolve to end the situation, however, has not wavered. In fact, we are now more determined than ever to finally eliminate these terrorists, and we will not stop until evil is vanquished, not only in Marawi City, but also in the whole of Mindanao,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS
