CHIEF-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Commodore Gary Best, yesterday declared the army’s intention to ‘do whatever it has to do’ in pursuit of the heavily armed gunmen that killed one of its ranks on Wednesday night.

He, however, assured that the army is not prepared for civilian casualties.

“…we learn together, we are going to bond together because one of our own lost his life and (that’s) why we are in this fight,” he told reporters in the wake of the death of a GDF rank who was shot Wednesday night when heavily armed gunmen ambushed an army patrol in the troubled and violence-prone village of Buxton, East Coast Demerara.

Corporal Ivor Williams, 24, of Middle Walk, Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, was shot in the left shoulder and had to be transported by colleagues to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Another soldier, Private Cohen Torrington, 18, of 28 Evans Park, Agricola was also injured in the shootout between army ranks and the Buxton gunmen. Torrington received gunshot wounds to the right chest and left hand.

Speaking with media operatives gathered at base Camp Ayanganna for the commissioning of a GDF laboratory yesterday, on whether the attack by the gunmen had anything to do with a missing pregnant teenager, Tenisha Morgan, - said to be the girlfriend of notorious criminal Rondel Rawlins called ‘Fine Man’, the Army Chief-of-Staff said he does not believe there is any direct connection.

He, however, noted that the police had issued a statement on the missing teen.

“I read about the alleged ‘Fine Man’ (Rondel Rawlins) child mother and I do not think there is a direct contact. But what I can say, is that criminal elements in Buxton have decided to gather up their own and attack and at a time when we now have a causality (the dead soldier and injury to another)… when these things happen we have to fight and stay because if we can’t make Guyana safe who can,” he declared.

Reports abound that the child Morgan is expecting is fathered by fugitive Rondel Rawlins a.k.a ‘Fine Man’ of Agricola.

The police on Wednesday reported that police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had received a telephone from a caller purporting to be the wanted man, and that he had threatened them with violence if “his child-mother is not found.”

On being asked whether he thinks criminals are in Buxton, the COS said the community is one of the army’s important villages, reminding that the GDF had cause to establish a camp there but have since disbanded such operations.

He said, too, that a criminal is a criminal.

Though Commodore Best could not definitively say how many gunmen the Army has been coming up against, he noted that while it is difficult…to put a handle on “these men”, the Army is assessing the situation.

“They are hiding in the population in Buxton…when we go into the area we have to protect civilians, (it is) hard to identify criminals but over time we will wear-them-down and take back that village,” he noted.

The GDF, in a statement yesterday on the issue, said the incident occurred at approximately 20:45 h as a GDF vehicle was returning to Camp Ayanganna from Berbice, during ‘an administrative run’.

The ambush, according to the army statement, was by several armed men who were on the Railway Embankment Road between Church of God Road and Company Road.

The soldiers returned fire and Private Torrington, who is now warded at the GPH, was injured during that confrontation.

Williams was among troops who were deployed to the area and came under heavy gunfire on the Railway Embankment Road.

The third casualty in Wednesday’s shoot-out was Thelma Cromwell, 29, of 138 Friendship Village, East Coast Demerara, who was admitted to the Accident and Emergency Unit at the GPH about 00:10 hrs with a gunshot wound to the right leg.

Cromwell was hit by a stray bullet during the shoot-out between the Army and persons from neighbouring Buxton.

Around 06:00 h yesterday, ranks of the GDF and Police cleared the Buxton Public Road of obstacles that were strewn across it and also conducted patrols to ensure the free and safe movement of traffic through the village.

When this newspaper conducted checks around mid-morning yesterday, business was as usual in the village.