To give lawmakers an exact appreciation on how difficult it
was to operate in battlefield conditions, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
chief-of-staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang has invited members of the Senate and
House of Representatives to conduct ocular inspections at the encounter site in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Catapang was referring to Barangay Tukanalipao where 44
Special Action Force (SAF) members were killed during the Jan. 25 mission which
neutralized Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli bin Hur alias "Marwan".
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, AFP public affairs office chief,
said Catapang's invitations is also extended to local government officials,
members of the international monitoring team, and representatives of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
"The intent of the Chief-of-Staff-AFP is to allow
everyone to appreciate the actual battlefield condition in Mamasapano where the
44 gallant policemen paid the ultimate sacrifice while battling the numerically
superior enemy forces in Jan. 25, 2015," he said.
Some sectors earlier scored the AFP for not providing
artillery support to the engaged SAF troopers, a decision the military made due
to lack of information on the exact location of the police commandos in the
battlefield.
The visit is also aimed at showing the actual terrain
conditions and the limitations that have contributed to the decision of
withholding of artillery fire support for the beleaguered SAF troopers, Cabunoc
stressed.
"The AFP would also like to draw valuable lessons from
the unfortunate incident in order to improve the future law enforcement
operations with the PNP against the enemies of the state," the AFP public
affairs office chief said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=752845
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