News5's Mon Gualvez interviews a fighter wounded during the clashes in Mamasapano last Jan. 25, 2015. (image grabbed from News5 video)
Fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who were wounded in the January 25 clashes in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao in which 44 members of the police Special Action died said they were caught by surprise and were left with no choice but to fight back.
News5 was given rare access to the MILF camp in Mamasapano where up to 10 wounded fighters were being treated.
The MILF also suffered 14 dead in the fighting, which broke out during a SAF mission that the government says was intended to get wanted terror suspects Zulkifli Bin Hir, a Malaysian, and Filipino Abdul Basit Usman, bomb-making experts with a combined bounty of $7 million from the US government.
“Toto,” one of the wounded fighters, said they were awakened by loud and heavy gunfire early Sunday morning and had no choice but to fire back.
He said he was surprised why there was fighting because there was supposed to be a ceasefire in place.
Toto said he continued fighting after being wounded in the shoulder but was eventually taken off the battlefield after he was hit in the stomach.
Another wounded fighter, “Manuel,” who was wounded in the thigh, said it was the SAF who attacked first, catching them by surprise.
He also denied knowing either Marwan or Usman, pointing out that almost all the residents in their village are related to each other and knew of no one there going by the Malaysian bomber’s alias.
Manuel acknowledged that, although they received the command to disengage around 10 a.m., the fighting had reached fever pitch. Hostilities only ended past 3 p.m. when peacekeepers, accompanied by the military, arrived.
MILF chairman A Haj Murad Ebrahim said the incident has not sapped their will to pursue the peace process and remain confident the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will create a new homeland under an agreement with the government, will be passed.
“Until no final solution to this political problem is reached, this situation will persist,” he stressed.
He also said they are willing to conduct a joint investigation with government into the bloody incident even as they have begun their own internal probe.
[Video report]
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/104192/video-exclusive--woken-by-gunfire-wounded-milf-fighters-recount-deadly-mamasapano-clash
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