THE military said on Wednesday it was poised to undertake a combination of clearing and search-and-rescue operations for eight Army Special Forces personnel who are believed to have been kidnapped by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas following a daylong firefight in Al Barka, Basilan, on Tuesday.

The gun battle dealt the Special Forces its biggest operational debacle since it was formed by then Maj. Fidel Ramos in the 1960s.

Military authorities also said they have already sought the intervention of the Government-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group for the release of the captured soldiers who are members of the 13th and 19th Special Forces Companies.

As of Wednesday, the official casualty count from Tuesday’s nearly 12 hours of fighting at Barangay Bakisung, Al Barka, was set at 19 Special Forces troops killed, 12 wounded and eight missing in action.

Earlier, the military said it was still accounting for 10 missing in action, but Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, Armed Forces Public Information Office chief, said they were only looking for eight. He said confusions may have caused them to make a mistake with the numbers.

On the other hand, nine MILF rebels were also killed during the clash, according to the Army commander, Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz. He provided the names of seven of those killed.

However, the MILF claimed it only lost six fighters.

The MILF also claimed in its web site that the Special Forces lost 22 members and not 19, and its fighters captured 22 high-powered firearms, including four M-203 grenade launchers, an M-60 machine gun, four Minimi machine guns and 13 M-16 rifles.

The claims were, however, belied by military officials.

The Special Forces were responding to the reported presence of armed men, “possibly with kidnap victims,” in Barangay Bakisung when they clashed, initially with more than 50 MILF and Abu Sayyaf bandits, led by Cmdr. Laksaw Dan Asnawi of the MILF 114th Base Command and Abu Sayyaf Cmdr. Nurhassan Jamiri.

Asnawi is a fugitive, having escaped in December 2009 from the Basilan Provincial Jail along with 30 other inmates. He is involved in the beheading of 14 Marines in July 2007, also in Al Barka.

Lt. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman for the Armed Forces Western Command, said the bandits were later reinforced by armed men, most of them believed to be members of the MILF, with the number swelling up to more than 100.

The MILF leadership claimed the soldiers entered into its so called area of temporary stay, a claim that was denied by both Burgos and Cabangbang.

The military officials said the Special Forces members were four kilometers away from the declared area of the Moros.

Ortiz said based on the latest report that he got, the armed band that the Special Forces engaged was a combined group headed by Jamiri and Long Malat of the Abu Sayyaf, Asnawi of the MILF and Cmdr. Pulon Kulalon of the Moro National Liberation Front.             

Burgos said military authorities do not have a complete picture of the clash yet, but said it appeared that the soldiers were ganged up by heavily armed men, including villagers, from the area.

He said more Special Forces elements and even Scout Rangers have been poured into Al Barka awaiting the signal for the start of the clearing and search-and-rescue operations for their missing companions.

Cabangbang said they received information from the government’s representative to the CCCH that six of the missing soldiers were in the hands of MILF fighters involved in the firefight.

“The information is not clear yet as to their condition, but the reports disclosed that the six soldiers who were among those reported missing are in the custody of the MILF group which they encountered,” he said.

“We cannot ascertain yet as to the fate of the others,” he added.

Cabangbang said the CCCH is coordinating for the release or recovery of the soldiers that are in the custody of the MILF.

Asked to reconstruct the incident that led to the massacre of the Special Forces members, the regional military spokesman said he believed the troops were pinned down by the opposing group because of the terrain and long firefight.

Cabangbang said the terrain and the daylong encounter gave those who also have firearms living near the area or even armed relatives of the bandits the time to respond to the “lawless” members.

“So while the fighting drags, the number of enemies keeps on increasing,” he said.

He said based on their reports, the Special Forces troops first engaged the group of Asnawi and Malat. 

As of this writing, reports quoting Basilan Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul said the bodies of six of the eight missing soldiers have been found in the site of the encounter.

Department of National Defense Spokesman Zosimo Paredes said the department is investigating the clash.

President Aquino has called for a command conference on Friday to discuss the encounter between government troops and Moro rebels in Basilan, where 19 soldiers were killed on Tuesday.

“I have called for a command conference on Friday when the secretary of national defense arrives to precisely tackle the issue,” Mr. Aquino said in a statement.

Malacañang expressed its condolences to the families of the 19 soldiers who were killed in the encounter, but said the “isolated” incident would not derail peace talks with the MILF.

“We wish to extend our condolences to the families left behind by tour valiant soldiers. It saddens us to learn of this incident, even if our soldiers face this kind of danger every day,” Deputy Presidential Spokesman Abigail Valte said in a news briefing.

Valte also assured the families of the fallen soldiers that there would be no whitewash in the investigation of the incident.

In a statement, Government Peace Panel Chairman Marvic Leonen said the government considers the “misencounter” between government forces and the MILF as “an isolated incident” that “was not intended by both government and MILF.”

“We are confident that the current mechanisms for monitoring violations of the cease-fire agreement are in place and are effectively working. With the assistance of the Armed Forces, as well as the cease-fire committees, we hope to be able to get a clearer picture of the causes of this incident,” Leonen said.

He said the government peace panel is preparing for a meeting with its MILF counterparts next month.