The Philippine National Police (PNP) will investigate the bloodiest police operation in recent history that led to the killing of dozens of commandos in a January 25 clash with Muslim rebels in Maguindanao. Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas called it a “misencounter.” In a press conference in Cotabato on Monday, January 26, Roxas announced the creation of a board of inquiry that will look into what happened during a Special Action Force-led operation in Masasapano town, Maguindanao, that was meant to arrest top terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir, better known as Marwan,” a Malaysian and alleged bomb maker. (READ: Dead or alive? Top terrorist was cops target) Masasapano is a known bailiwick of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace agreement with the Aquino government last year and which has joined security units in the past in running after lawless groups in central Mindanao. The attacks threaten to derail the implementation of the peace pact, which is now on its second phase – the drafting of a law to create the proposed Bangsamoro region. President Benigno Aquino III said the passage of the law is one of his priorities this year. The MILF said the police did not coordinate with them for this particular operation. The military, on the other hand, was not involved until the SAF called for troop reinforcement Sunday. The SAF attacks were “not directed against the MILF,” Roxas stressed. “This was a law enforcement operation.” Roxas said at least 43 SAF commandos were killed, based on their official reports so far. PNP reports in the field however counted 49 killed SAF personnel as of Monday noon. Why the SAF entered a contested territory without informing other units is a question being asked within police and military circles. Roxas said the operation is now the subject of a high-level PNP investigation. Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, acting PNP chief, said at least 392 SAF members were involved in the operation. The elite cops were plucked from other areas in Mindanao such as in General Santos City and other Cotabato provinces, Espina said. Out of this, “more or less only 35 actually entered the area,” Roxas said. “The others were in the surrounding areas.”
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 09:29:52 +0000