Catapang: AFP did not hold back on support for SAF commandos

From InterAksyon (Feb 2): Catapang: AFP did not hold back on support for SAF commandos

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., on Monday defended his troops based in Maguindanao from mounting criticisms that they failed to respond to the distress calls from police commandos pinned down at the Battle of Mamasapano.

Scores of men and officers from the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) called for reinforcements but ended up battling to their last breath against ambushers composed of hundreds of fighters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on January 25 in Barangay Tukanaliapo, Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The SAF force was on a mission to serve warrants of arrest for international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, a Malaysian, and Basit Usman, a Filipino trained by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in bomb-making.

The 12-hour firefight that ensued led to the death of 44 SAF members.

The PNP has claimed that it has neutralized Marwan, but was still waiting the result of a DNA matching test.

Usman was able to escape.

Catapang said a fact-finding committee he earlier ordered to investigate the incident has already submitted its report by Sunday night.

"The committee was able to establish that the Army readily provided support by organizing a quick reaction force composed of troops from various infantry units, including armored assets of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which was ultimately deployed for the extraction of wounded SAF personnel," he said.

"Unknown to many, the 6th Infantry Division began providing support an hour after initially being informed of the situation, until the early morning hours of the following day, Monday (January 26), when the elements of the SAF trapped inside Mamasapano were located and safely bought out of Brgy Tukanalipao," Catapang added.

He insisted that the Army was not remiss in its duties to assist and reinforce the beleaguered SAF elements in Mamasapano, and did all that was possible under the circumstances when they received the request of help after the fact.

"The AFP categorically states that everything that could be done was done under the circumstance, with due consideration to avoid fratricide and collateral damage.

"The AFP, following its fact-finding mission, will readily turnover all its findings to the Board of inquiry once requested. The AFP also appeals to the public to be circumspect on the matter, and allow the BOI to finish its assigned task and await the final report of the Board."

Still, military sources who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted that their units, stationed just a few kilometers away from the carnage site, could have done more to dispatch reinforcements if not for the critical lack of coordination with SAF and concerns about risking a possible backlash to the ceasefire agreement and the peace process in general.

They said they were able to send air assets, tanks and able to fire canon rounds but failed to mitigate the bloody situation and minimize the casualties on the ground.

"Westmincom [Western Mindanao Command] sent helicopters to support the 6th Infantry Division, but these were not deployed to the firefight theater because of the possibility that this might have widespread repercussions on the peace process, on top of the critical lack of tactical coordination as to how our side was holding the ground," one of the sources said.

He said the tanks were only able to enter the kill zone after the firefight, "to retrieve the remains of our 44 slain SAF commandos -- up to 19 of them mutilated, all them looted of their guns, ammo, uniforms, combat boots, and even personal belongings."

The headquarters of the Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which has at least 20 tanks and dozens of artillery canons (105mm and 155mm Howitzers) is based in Mamasapano town, just a few kilometers away from the ambush site.

"We we're able to fire only so-called marking rounds -- shells charged with white phosphorous that sends up white smoke to help establish reference for troop positioning. We could not yet fire live rounds right away for fear of hitting our own comrades," the source said.

The source claimed that units on the ground were ready to send in reinforcements an hour into the firefight. What was lacking was the necessary tactical coordination to spell out specific actions to take once they wade into the fight.

The firefight lasted for 12 hours.

He said that, if only the SAF operation was well-coordinated with the units on the ground, the support troops could have acted more quickly to reinforce.

"We had the materiel, the artillery, the tanks and armored assets, the helicopters from the Air Force to provide close air support ... if only all of these were properly planned."

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) had formed a Board of Inquiry (BOI) to investigate what happened.

The Senate opens a hearing on the issue this Wednesday, and the AFP is expected to send 6th ID commander Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan to explain its side.

"In so far as we are concerned, I think we are satisfied with the response of our ground commanders in providing support to the PNP, given the sparse information that were obtained, or passed to them at that time," the source said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/104242/catapang-afp-did-not-hold-back-on-support-for-saf-commandos