MILF almost done with own Mamasapano probe

From Rappler (Feb 17): MILF almost done with own Mamasapano probe

'This will not take long,' says MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal

ALMOST DONE. MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal at the Senate. File photo by Mark Cristino/Rappler

 

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is about to wrap up its own investigation of the January 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that left 44 police commandos, 18 rebels and 3 civilians dead.

 

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said on the phone Tuesday, February 17, that he has read the first draft of the report but could not talk about it yet.

 

“We are almost done. This will not take long,” Iqbal said.

 

The MILF will send its investigation report to Miriam Coronel Ferrer, head of the government peace panel and Iqbal’s counterpart. The Philippine National Police also has its separate Board of Inquiry to look into what happened.

 

“The government assured us that we will be working together to resolve the problem,” Iqbal stressed.

 

But he said he “will not talk” about whether or not the MILF will be turning over to government its commanders who were involved in the January 25 clash. “It’s a sensitive issue,” he said.

 

The MILF conducted its own probe following police accusations of an “overkill” in combat. It was mainly MILF troops that encountered a police Special Action Force (SAF) company that was wiped out – with a lone survivor – in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano.

 

A video that went viral also showed an armed man shooting a SAF commando who was still apparently alive.

 

Iqbal condemned the shooting and said that whoever did it was worse than a terrorist. He also vowed that the MILF will help the government find Usman, who reportedly escaped the January 25 attack in Mamasapano.

 

The MILF signed a peace agreement with the Aquino government last year, and the Mamasapano clash threatens to kill the peace process.

 

On January 25, SAF troopers entered Mamasapano to arrest top terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Usman.

 

Marwan was killed in the attack. He had a $5-million bounty for his arrest, courtesy of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, over his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing In Indonesia that left 110 foreign nationals dead, among other terror activities.

 

The killing of 44 cops, however, angered many, triggering the worst political crisis for the Aquino government since it came to power in 2010.

 

http://www.rappler.com/nation/84210-milf-almost-done-mamasapano-probe