AFP: Military sent reinforcement in Mamasapano clash

MANILA, Philippines–The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday said it reinforced the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force in last month’s clash with armed Moro groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

“The Army was not remiss in its duties to assist and reinforce the beleaguered SAF elements in Mamasapano and did all that was possible under the circumstances when they received the request of help after the fact,” Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, AFP Public Affairs Office chief, said in a statement.

The military has been criticized for supposedly not sending reinforcements in the botched operation to arrest two international terrorists, which killed 44 elite police officers.

A fact-finding committee was able to establish that the Army “had readily provided support by organizing a quick reaction force composed of troops from different infantry units including Armor assets of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade which were deployed for the extraction of wounded SAF personnel.”

An hour after being informed of the firefight, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division started providing support and extricated several SAF troops.

“The AFP categorically states that everything that could be done was done under the circumstance with due consideration to avoid fratricide and collateral damage,” Cabunoc said.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report earlier said that though there were reinforcements, the soldiers did not know where to proceed because there were no grid coordinates.

The results of the fact-finding mission will be turned over to the board of inquiry once requested.

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