Iqbal says they have formed a team to assess and do the accounting of all the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force guns seized by the MILF
MILF LEADER. Mohagher Iqbal sits as among negotiators of the MILF.
A senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Friday they are seriously taking into consideration a request made by the government to return the weapons of slain police commandos involved in the Mamasapano clash on January 25.
Iqbal said they have formed a team to assess and do the accounting of all the guns of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) that were seized by their 105th Base Command after the encounter in the village of Tukanalipao in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao.
“There is no decision yet made by the central committee but we are taking seriously their request,” he said.
Weapons for sale
A gun runner interviewed by GMA News, who is working as middle man for the rebel group, said that his contacts have refused to sell a bush master M4 rifle as there is a plan to return the weapons.
However, he said they are selling the bullet vest for P70,000; hand grenade, P5,000 each; and night vision goggles, P50,000. The Lakefield Biathlon B90 rifles, which are in demand, are also being eyed for sale.
Four B90s have reportedly been disposed of and sold to politicians and traders in Maguindanao.
Iqbal said it is possible these weapons were those that were taken by the BIFF rebels.
“I don’t think our men will sell [them] because it’s prohibited in our guidelines,” he added.
MILF investigation
MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said Thursday, February 5, they will wait for the results of their own investigation before their central committee decides on whether or not to return the guns of the slain 44 elite cops.
“If we’re done with the official report of our men, we will have a deliberation and then we’ll decide if we will return their guns or not,” Jaafar said.
“We also lost our men in that uncoordinated operation,” he added.
PNP Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina earlier asked the MILF to return the firearms of the fallen SAF troopers.
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman also issued the same appeal to the MILF, if only to show sincerity in the peace negotiations with government.
Police commandos came to Tukanalipao village in the township of Mamasapano for a “law enforcement operation" against Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and his Filipino Jemaah Islamiya commander Abdul Basit Usman.
Marwan was confirmed dead by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after DNA tests were made.
He had a $5-million bounty offered by the US FBI for his arrest over his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing in Indonesia that left 110 foreign nationals dead. Usman, another bomb-making expert who carries a $1-million bounty on his head, managed to escape.
While police commandos were pulling out from the site, the assault team of the PNP encountered a group of MILF rebels under 105th Base Command, resulting in a fierce fight. At least 44 police, 17 rebels and 7 civilians died in the clash.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/83156-weapons-pnp-saf-intact-milf
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.