By Priam F. Nepomuceno & Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan
MANILA, (PNA) — The death toll in the Zamboanga City crisis has now climbed to 108 Thursday.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, Jr., said that this can be broken down as follows:
-AFP: 12 killed, 108 wounded in actions
-PNP: 3 killed, 12 wounded.
-MNLF:86 killed, 9 wounded, 93 captured and arrested (excluded here is the 15 who surrendered Thursday morning)
-Civilians:7 killed, 67 wounded.
Tutaan said that only 20 hostages remain in MNLF hands out of the 178 earlier captured by the MNLF.
The AFP spokesperson said that the latest military fatality is a 1st Lieutenant assigned to one of the Light Reaction Companies involved in the ongoing clearing operations in Barangays Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina and Rio Hondo.
Tutaan said that the officer was shot in the chin around 6 a.m. Three other troopers were wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
He declined to identify the slain officer pending notification of the latter’s next-of-kin.
The AFP spokesperson also said that 35 evacuation centers are now open and housing 109,000 persons affected by the stand-off.
Tutaan, meanwhile, said that legal aspects are being studied to determine what legal action will be undertaken against MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari who is believed to be behind the stand-off.
He declined to comment on whether Misuari will be charged, adding that this is the job of government legal agencies.