Moro Islamic Liberation Front. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that the killing of international terrorist Zulkifi bin Hir alias Marwan inside a Moro Islamic Liberation Front lair in Mamasapano, Maguindanao has “tainted” the relations between the military and the Moro group.
“The atmosphere of trust has been tainted and there needs to be a buildup on that aspect again. So if there is sincerity on the part of the other group, I guess they can recover that trust and we can build up on those,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Restituto Padilla said on Thursday.
Marwan was supposedly killed in an operation by elite police officers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, but at the cost of 44 lives of the elite police officers.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that Marwan was “likely killed” based on the DNA tests conducted.
The police commandos were also going after bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman but he escaped according to authorities.
The MILF has been accused of coddling Marwan following the incident, to which they denied.
The Philippine government and the MILF have sealed a peace pact last March and is in the process on working out the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The ceasefire between the government and MILF continued after the bloodbath.
“That’s a positive development and we continue to work and build up on this so that we can normalize situation on the ground and build up on those,” Padilla said.
“If there is a desire to build up on that [trust], they need to prove it again by working closely with our law enforcers and our men on the ground,” he added.