MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal. FILE PHOTO BY CHERYL RAVELO/Reuters
Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal on Monday blamed the Philippine National Police-Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF) for carrying out the operation with “100 percent, 1,000 percent walang (no) coordination” with the ad hoc joint action group, a joint body of the MILF and government.
Iqbal, who also heads the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, claimed the SAF personnel who entered the area around 3 a.m. Sunday had come from Zamboanga City, “so talagang tinatago (it was really kept secret).”
“Eh, ‘yun eh, pumasok tapos umaatake, anong gagawin mo (So there, they entered attacking, what would you do)?” he said. “Self-defense ang nangyari (What happened was self-defense).”
Describing what happened, Iqbal said the police deployed in “dalawang wings … ‘yung ang nakasagupa ng MILF kasi ‘yung area na ‘yun, mga 90 percent MILF area ‘yun (two ‘wings’ … that was what the MILF battled because that area is 90 percent MILF).”
Although the MILF is conducting its own investigation into the incident, Iqbal stressed the MILF is leaving it to the International Monitoring Team to issue an official report “kasi ‘yun ang (because it is) nonpartisan.”
“Kahit magsasabi kami ng totoo … hindi lalabas na nonpartisan kasi ang magiging impression diyan MILF ang nag-investigate so ang lalabas … magiging biased (Even if we tell the truth … it won’t come out as nonpartisan because the impression will be, the MILF investigated so it will come out … biased),” he added.
Despite what happened, Iqbal said, “ang importante rito ‘yung dalawang panig, ‘yung partners sa peace process, mag-usap at titingnan how to move forward, kasi mas mahalaga ‘yung peace process, mahalaga ‘yung … BBL (the important thing is for the two sides, the partners in the peace process, to talk and find ways to move forward because the peace process is more important, the BBL is important).”
“Although it’s unfortunate (na) merong namatay d’yan … hindi na maibalik ‘yan, pero ang improtante ang susunod kailangan may coordination para hindi mangyari ‘yung ganyan (that there have been fatalities … we cannot bring them back, but what is important is in the future there is coordination so this does not happen again).”
MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar made a similar assertion. He said: “What I can categorically pronounce now is that there was no coordination made (with the MILF) and I think this is a violation of the provisions of the ceasefire agreement.”
Jaafar said the incident happened as the MILF central committee was meeting on issues they intend to raise at the next discussion in Kuala Lumpur between their peace panel and that of the government “before the end of this month,” which he said would include the ceasefire and the normalization process.
“Suddenly we received this information that there is (an) ongoing encounter in Mamasapano … involving PNP elements and some armed combatants, so we verified this through our ceasefire committee and afterward they confirmed to us na meron ngang kaguluhang nangyayari du’n (that there was trouble there),” and that “some elements of the MILF in the area” were also involved.
“It’s still not yet clear why some of our elements got involved,” he said but surmised that the withdrawing policemen may have run into fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF’s armed wing who had not been alerted to the presence of the government forces.
“We still don’t know kung sino ang unang pumutok, PNP or ‘yung BIAF (who fired the first shot, the police or BIAF),” he added.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/103796/how-did-clash-happen-1000-no-coordination-international-monitoring-team-should-probe---milf
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