BOI: Mamasapano mission plan not followed
POLICE Director Benjamin Magalong said the Philippine National Police - Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) troopers failed to follow the actual plan for their law enforcement operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
On January 25, 392 police commandos were on mission to serve outstanding warrants of arrest on Zulkifli Bin Hir, or Marwan, and Basit Usman, both members of international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.
Magalong, who chairs the PNP Board of Inquiry, told a Senate hearing Monday that their initial findings were based on the testimonies of 374 individuals shared text messages, call logs and special reports submitted by the surviving SAF troopers, police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
During operation, the 392 SAF policemen were divided into groups, assigning one group as the "main effort" while the others are in support, he said.
"The 84th Special Action Company or well known as Seaborne was designated as the main effort of the operation. It was tasked to enter Marwan's encampment and arrest Marwan and Usman. The plan called for the deployment of the 55th, 45th, 42nd, and 41st Special Action Companies as containment forces along the entry and exit routes of the seaborne," Magalong said.
He said the actual plan based on "Oplan Exodus" was not implemented due to several reasons, particularly the "challenging trail" in the location.
"Except for the seaborne unit, the other units did not reach their designated positions. The movement of the seaborne took about two hours longer than planned. They were delayed by the difficult terrain and the strong river current near the target. The departure of the support groups accordingly were delayed because the plan called for synchronization of their movement with that of the seaborne. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the seaborne was still able to reach its objective and neutralize 'Marwan'," the official said.
The Seaborne, however, was able to follow their exit plan from Marwan's encampment through the support of the 55th Company that engaged the rebel groups, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The 55th Company had 36 personnel, 35 of them were killed during the raid.
"Because of the tremendous firepower and strength of the opposition, the TCP or the Tactical Command Post and 55th SAC advised them not to proceed with the linkup and instead move east. By this time, both seaborne and 55th SAC were under heavy rifle and mortar fire. While moving, the seaborne teams engaged various armed groups from all directions. For hours until late in the afternoon, they fought their way out, dragging their killed and wounded comrades," Magalong said.
At the end of his presentation, Magalong assured that justice will be served to the slain SAF commandos.
"In honor of the 44 heroes and the 15 wounded, the board of inquiry is commited to complete its task of finding out what happened. we will give justice to our SAF heroes by seeking the truth," he said.
PNP officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina wanted the MILF to explain the "overkill" of government troops.
"We seek for clear answers for the other party of the peace process, 44 of my men from the Special Action Forces were killed in a brutal and merciless fashion," he said.
Espina said the bodies of the slain SAF commandos manifested signs that they were shot at close range using high-powered firearms.
He noted that the rebels stripped the slain police commandos of their personal belongings such as cell phones and firearms.
"They even managed telling the wives of my men, 'patay na ang asawa mo, 'wag ka nang tumawag," Espina said, quoting statements from relatives of slain policemen.
"Clearly embellished in the uniforms of my men were Special Action Force patches, therefore clearly showing that they belong to government which the other party knows they have continuing peace talks with," he added. (Sunnex)