2007 Basilan beheading incident

2007 Basilan beheading incident
Part of Islamic insurgency in the Philippines
Date July 10, 2007 – July 11, 2007 Location Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, Philippines
Belligerents
Philippines Armed Forces of the Philippines Philippine Marine Corps	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

Map of the Philippines showing the location of Basilan.

The 2007 Basilan beheading incident was an armed incident in July 2007 between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and the Philippine Army which led to the execution of 14 or 23 members of the Philippine Marines, amongst them 11 beheaded in the province of Basilan in the southern Philippines.

Background

Map of Zamboanga Sibugay showing the location of Payao.

On June 10, 2007, 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 renegade MILF members or Abu Sayyaf.

His captors have released photographs of Bossi as alive and well, but failed to communicate with the Philippine government negotiators about any demands. 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.

Operations in Basilan

Map of Basilan showing the location of Tipo-Tipo.

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".