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By Al Jacinto, Correspondent
ZAMBOANGA CITY: A US medical
mission in the southern Philippines was halted after an attack on
one of its helicopter while ferrying patients near Cotabato City.
The American Embassy in Manila on
Wednesday confirmed the attack a day after the US Navy announced it
suspended the humanitarian mission of the USNS Mercy hospital ship
in Mindanao.
“On June 9, while on a routine
flight supporting the humanitarian assistance efforts, one of
Mercy’s four MH-60S Knight Hawk support helicopters sustained
damage from what appears to be a bullet. As a consequence, the
aircraft is currently out of service while the cause of the damage
is investigated. The grounding resulted in the cancellation of one
medical assistance activity June 10,” the US Embassy said.
The helicopter returned to deck
with two bullet holes in the tail rotor. The crew had been unaware
of the bullet strikes during the flight. The attack on the aircraft
prompted the USNS Mercy to suspend humanitarian operations, the US
Navy said.
“The holes appear to be an
entry and exit point from a single bullet,” said Cmdr. Jeff A.
Davis, a US Navy spokesman.
There were no reports of injuries
and the US Navy did not know when the shots were fired at the
helicopter, which returned to the ship after picking up 11
passengers from a site 50 miles near Cotabato City.
The US Embassy said the hospital
ship would leave Cotabato and sail to Samar province in the central
Philippines today for a series of medical missions and then to
Manila by Sunday.
No groups or individuals claimed
responsibility for the attack, but several rebel groups, such as the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and New People’s Army, are
operating in Mindanao.
The MILF on Tuesday condemned the
attack and said it would investigate the incident. “We condemn the
attack. The helicopter is on a humanitarian mission benefiting
thousands of Muslims, including MILF patients and we will help
authorities determine who is behind the attack on the helicopter,”
Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, told The Manila Times.
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