The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said it has started its own probe on the attack by alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf in Al-Barka, Basilan where three soldiers died last Sept. 15.

In a statement, Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said the CHR “continues to strongly denounce any arbitrary attack that brazenly violates the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and tramples on the right to life.”

De Guia said: “In the context of armed hostilities, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force is prohibited under IHL. Belligerent armed groups and rogue elements that commit human rights abuses must be pursued and held accountable to ensure justice and to uphold the rule of law.”

“We express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the fallen soldiers as we continue to call for durable solutions that will put to end the cycle of senseless violence and acts of terror in conflict-ridden areas in Mindanao,” she said.

Earlier, Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), had said that armed men led by a certain Abaas Jangkatan engaged members of the 18th Infantry Battalion (18IB) in Barangay Magkawa at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 15.

Rosario said three soldiers were killed -- two of them died on the spot while the third one was declared dead on arrival in the hospital.

The dead soldiers were identified as Corporal Mike Repupunio, and Private First Class John Philip Pamplona and Jerweb Capoy.

Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of Joint Task Force Basilan, said the troops were on their way to relieve their comrades from the detachment when they were waylaid by the gunmen.

Gobway theorized that the attack could be a form of retaliation since the suspects were part of the same group that the 18IB had encountered earlier.