The bomb maker, whose arrest claimed the lives of 44 police commandos, is actually just 'a little snake who has been blown up into a dragon,' says the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict
He was “a little
snake who has been blown up into a dragon."
With a $5-million
bounty on his head, Zulkifli
bin hir, better known as Marwan - the target of Oplan Exodus, was portrayed in the media as an
international bomb expert, with unverified reports claiming that he may have
left behind 300 bomb makers after he was killed.
No less than
dismissed police Special Action Force (SAF) chief Getulio Napeñas called him
"the most notorious bomb expert not just here in Southeast Asia but also
in the entire world" during the Senate probe on the Mamasapano clash.
A report by the
Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, however, debunks
common knowledge about Marwan's reputation as a world-class terrorist. The
institute is headed by Sidney Jones, who used to be with the
International Crisis Group and has done various research projects on security
in Mindanao .
"Killing
Marwan in Mindanao" was based on documentary sources and interviews from 5
Indonesians who knew Marwan in Indonesia
and/or the Philippines
As the political
fallout from the Mamasapano clash put the future of the peace process in jeopardy, the report raised
questions on whether the consequences of the January 25 operation should have
been "more systematically" taken into account before it was executed.
It traced
Marwan's career from his beginnings in Indonesia
to Afghanistan , his involvement
in the Ambon Conflict in Indonesia ,
and how he weaved his way into conflict areas in Mindanao
until he was killed in the Mamasapano clash that also claimed the lives of 44
elite cops, 18 rebels and at least 3 civlians.
Contrary
to how he was portrayed in the media, Marwan was “a little snake who has been blown up into a
dragon,” according to one of Marwan's Indonesian associates as quoted in the
report.
Marwan was never
a member of the once feared Jemaah Islamiyah, according to the report. While he
was a senior member of the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia, which had ties with the
JI, he was never its leader. (EXCLUSIVE: Marwan's ties that bind: Aljebir Adzhar aka Embel)
Napeñas, in the
February 9 Senate hearing, referred to Marwan as one of the "technical
masterminds behind the 2002 Bali
bombing." The report disputed this and stressed that he had "no role
whatsoever" in the bombings and he was already in the Philippines
He was neither a
leader in Mindanao nor did he have special
bomb-making skills. In fact, Marwan's expertise was more on sharp shooting.
Marwan was even scared of bombs, according to the report:
"When his
friends in Pawas were learning bomb construction, Marwan often stayed in his
house; he told his friends the bombs scared him. He did not take part very
often in weapons training either because he was already relatively skilled. He
spent much of his time surfing the Internet with his laptop. The camp had a
generator, so there was no problem with electricity.
Marwan was
known in the Pawas camp as a gun collector, with an M16, Shotgun 12A,
Winchester 22 and Armalite 15, acessories such as an M9 bayonet and a Glock
bayonet knife sent by his elder brother, Rachmat from Califorina."
Why
Marwan's reputation blew up
There are more 4
main factors that could have contributed to how "the image became bigger
than the man," the report said.
After fleeing to
the Philippines , Marwan
became part of a small group of foreign jihadis who operated in Mindanao that
included Jemaah Islamiyah members and Bali bombers Umar Patek and Dulmatin, who
fled to the Philippines
"Marwan's stature
may have been a reflection of theirs," the report said.
The group was
forced to flee central Mindanao for Jolo after
the MILF leadership severed its ties with jihadis. Umar Patek and Dulmatin
eventually left for Indonesia
Marwan may have
also been mistaken for another Malaysian, Zulkifli Marzuki, who was JI's
secretary and had dealings with the al-Qaeda through his links to Hambali – the
only Indonesian in Guantanamo
Another factor is
Marwan's ability to evade arrest. Before he was killed in Mamasapano, the
police and the military hatched at least 9 operations against Marwan from 2010
to 2015. (READ: Why
SAF didn't trust the military)
As his reputation
became more notorious, authorities – both in the Philippines
and the US
Was it
worth it?
During the eulogy for the 44 fallen SAF members on January 30, SAF's
Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño asked: "Is it worth it, one international
terrorist equivalent to 44 SAF troopers?"
He said he it was
worth it because more lives were saved when Marwan was killed.
Regardless of how
important Marwan really was, the report questioned the wisdom of undertaking a
counter-terrorism operation in the midst of a peace process that was already in
its advanced stages.
The report noted
that even when government operations forced Bali bombers Umar Patek and
Dulmatin to flee to Jolo from central Mindanao before going back to Indonesia , it did not stop violence in Mindanao as shown by the Maguindanao Massacre in 2009 and
the Zamboanga siege in 2013.
"Even with
rock-solid information about the Malaysian’s location, President Aquino, SAF
members, and others involved in the operation should have carefully considered
the costs and benefits of going after him without informing the MILF, just as
the Bangasamoro Basic Law was finally coming up for debate," the report
said.
"If he had
escaped yet again, there would be another chance to capture him. It is not
clear there will be another chance for peace if this one collapses," it
added.
Challenge
to MILF
The report said
the value of the Rewards for Justice program should also be examined as
"huge bounties placed on the heads of foreign jihadis have helped to
burnish their reputations as world-class terrorists, perhaps out of proportion
to their actual roles."
The MILF, which
signed a peace deal with the government in 2014, must also do its part, the
report said.
"The MILF
also needs to consider its moves. Its leaders see themselves now as the
aggrieved party, blindsided by a counter-terrorism operation that no one told
them was coming. But if inquiries find that any of the trapped forces of the 55th company were executed after they were wounded, then the MILF fighters
responsible have violated basic principles of humanitarian law and do need to
be held accountable."
Read the full
report below:
http://www.rappler.com/nation/85977-marwan-terrorism-analysis
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