PH combat troops must be given urban warfare training

FILE/ Marawi City (PNA Photo)

MANILA —All Filipino combat troops must be given more training and orientation on urban warfare to make them more capable of neutralizing terrorists planning to conduct attacks in cities and highly populated areas.

This is one of the lessons learned by the military in the ongoing campaign against Maute group remnants in Marawi City, said Joint Task Force Ranao deputy commander, Col. Romeo Brawner  on Wednesday.

This is to ensure that Filipino soldiers are capable of dealing with terrorist threats and not only on the insurgency menace. Fighting in the city has reached its 100th day on Wednesday. The conflict started on May 23 after government troops tried to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon and his cohorts.

Originally, only specialized troops like the Light Reaction Regiment, were given training on urban warfare while the rest were only trained on jungle warfare to counter insurgency, Brawner said.

With terrorism is becoming a growing concern worldwide, more Filipino troops must be trained on urban warfare to counter the threat.

The Light Reaction Regiment is only a battalion-sized military formation which was expanded shortly after the Zamboanga City Siege Crisis in 2013 to ensure that a premier unit can be deployed to deal with urban warfare scenarios. (PNA)