|
Zamboanga City (AHN) - An American soldier drowned on Friday in a lake in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. U.S. Lt. Cmdr. Fred Kuebler in Zamboanga City and U.S. embassy spokesman Rebecca Thompson confirmed the death of an American soldier from a "non-combat-related incident" on Oct. 26. The two officials did not provide details. The Philippine Star said sources from the local military and the U.S. Joint Special Operation Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) identified the fatality as U.S. Army M/Sgt. Joe Curreri of Southern California. The JSOTF-P is a unit of the U.S. military supporting Filipino troops battling terrorists in southern Philippines.
According to the Philippine Star, the local military reported that Filipino Marines and American soldiers recovered Curreri's body on Saturday morning at Lake Seit in Panamao town. The U.S. soldier reportedly swam in the lake on Friday evening to look for his missing necklace. The Manila Standard said the victim was swimming with fellow soldiers The body was later flown to Zamboanga City in western Mindanao. Curreri was the 12th U.S. soldier to die in southern Philippines since 2002. A U.S. Marine based in Okinawa died of heart attack upon arrival in Sulu in February. He was part of a U.S. unit participating in an anti-terrorism exercise of the local military. Ten American troops also died in February 2002 when their helicopter crashed at sea north of Zamboanga City after transporting fellow soldiers to Basilan island for another counter-terrorism exercise.
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
