Contrary to PNP report, MILF panel says Marwan likely killed at close range lying down

From GMA News (Mar 24): Contrary to PNP report, MILF panel says Marwan likely killed at close range lying down

The suspected terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan was most likely killed while he was lying down and at close range instead of in the middle of a firefight as reported by the police's Board of Inquiry, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's Special Investigative Commission has said in its report.

According to the MILF commission, there were also no indications of an intense gunfight nor of bomb explosions around the hut where members of the Special Action Force 84th Seaborne caught and killed the Malaysian bomb maker before dawn of Jan. 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

"If the shots were fired while Marwan was lying down, he could have not been hit, while if he was standing and engaged the elements of the SAF in a firefight, the injuries sustained should have been at his lower body and not on his chest," the 35-page report said.

"In all likelihood, the fatal shot must have been fired at close range and while Marwan was lying on the floor," it added.

The MILF submitted the report to the Senate Committee on Local Government, one of the panels deliberating the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. The BBL is the centerpiece of the peace agreement between the government and the MILG.

"In the immediate vicinity of the hut, there are no indications of bomb explosion as there are no craters on the ground around the hut. Neither is there indication of an intense firefight in or around the hut," the report said.

This MILF's findings ran contrary to the PNP's BOI report, which included a narrative of what transpired at Marwan's hut based on the debriefing of Supt. Raymond Train, who led the 84th Seaborne.

"The team was initially roused with IEDs (improvised explosive devices), triggered outside Marwan's hut, prompting an exchange of gunfire between the SAF (Special Action Force) and Marwan. Marwan, who was awakened by the presence of the Commandos outside his hut, first turned off his lights before firing against the SAF men," the BOI report said.

"The firefight lasted for about 15 minutes. The Seaborne fatally shot Marwan in the chest, causing his death," it added.

The MILF commission said in its report that "there were very few bullet holes on the wall of the hut where Marwan was found and killed."

It said the trajectory of bullets "also indicate that the fatal shot did not come from the shots fired outside the house," with bullet holes "roughly 18 inches above the floor."

Marwan was one of the three high-value targets of the operation conducted by SAF in the area on January 25.

This eventually led to an hours-long firefight between the elite police force and members of the MILF, its splinter group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and other private armed groups.

A total of 66 people died in the incident, including 44 SAF officers, 17 MILF members, and five civilians.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/458286/news/nation/contrary-to-pnp-report-milf-panel-says-marwan-likely-killed-at-close-range-lying-down