US Soldier Allegedly Shoots Civilian in Southern Philippines

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, July 26, 2002

US Soldier Allegedly Shoots Civilian in Southern Philippines

A US soldier participating in the Philippine-US military exercise allegedly shot and wounded a civilian on southern Philippine island of Basilan, House Representative Satur Ocampo said Friday.

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A US soldier participating in the Philippine-US military exercise allegedly shot and wounded a civilian on southern Philippine island of Basilan, House Representative Satur Ocampo said Friday.

Buyongbuyong Isnail, a resident of Tuburan town, was wounded inthe thigh when an unidentified black American soldier allegedly shot him midnight Wednesday, the Philippine on-line news quoted Ocampo as saying.

"Jurida Isnail, the wife, testified that they were sleeping in their house when three soldiers two Filipinos and one American

roused them from their sleep to ask them about a rifle confiscated from a house some 300 meters away," Ocampo said.

"Her husband was getting up on his feet when the American soldier suddenly fired three shots from his rifle, wounding Buyongbuyong on the thigh," Ocampo added.Soldiers brought Buyongbuyong to a nearby hospital and later transferred him to a hospital inside the military's Southern Command in Zamboanga City not far from Basilan.

"We see a clear violation even of the terms of reference of theBalikatan exercises," Ocampo said, referring to guidelines of the anti-terrorism exercises of Filipino and US troops which prohibit the American soldiers from direct involvement in field operations and from firing their guns except in self-defense.

Ocampo and members of groups against the joint exercises are onBasilan now for a mission to probe the effects of the military drills on residents of the island. The mission was still trying toget details of the incident, which appeared to be "the first alleged direct involvement of an American soldier (in a military operation)."

The report said the US Embassy in Manila did not make immediateresponse to such allegation.

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