Show proof aide killed Marwan, MILF dared

A photograph of Zulkifli bin Hir, aka “Marwan,” raises questions about one official account of the Jan. 25 massacre of 44 police commandos on a fire fight that was already raging when the shot was taken in the hut of the Malaysian terrorist in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO PUBLISHED IN INQUIRER ON JAN. 30.

THERE is no doubt that the Special Action Force troopers took down Malaysian terrorist “Marwan” in an ill-fated operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25.

And to say that it was not the SAF who killed Zulkifli  Bin Hir is a huge insult to the 44 commandos and survivors who offered their lives for the operation, according to some retired and active police officials who were familiar with the tragic operation.

 READ: ‘Marwan killed by aide’ |  Aide betrayed Marwan

“The only truth is Marwan was killed by SAF and we have solid and very credible pieces of evidence and the personnel who collected these are honorable and very credible officers,” retired Police Director Getulio Napeñas, the former SAF commander who led the mission, said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net on Sunday.

After a source from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front claimed that Marwan was killed by his own aide, Napeñas challenged Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the MILF, to prove that the target of the operation was already dead when the SAF men arrived at the scene.

“The burden of proof lies on them. It is for the MILF and Iqbal to show [the] evidence. After all, they were the ones who were claiming that it was the aide who killed Marwan,” said Napeñas.

The source based his conclusion from the MILF’s investigation report which said that Marwan was shot in the back of the head, probably while lying face-down on the floor. The source said the attack launched by SAF was merely “a drama.”

BOI stands by report

Board of Inquiry chairman Police Director Benjamin Magalong echoed Napeñas’ statement and stood by the findings of the investigating body that SAF commandos had indeed killed the terrorist.

“It’s the SAF who killed Marwan. There’s no doubt about it,” Magalong told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview. “Claiming that it was not SAF who took down Marwan is unfair to the troopers who sacrificed their lives.”

“We have not received a single evidence from the MILF that would support their claim. Anybody can simply generate claims, allegations or false information and make it appear to be true. The burden of proof lies on that person who is making that claim. I challenge them to present it,” he added.

Magalong led the eight-member BOI formed by the Philippine National Police to conduct a thorough probe on the incident that led to the killing of 44 SAF commandos, 17 MILF guerrillas and three civilians in the raid against Marwan and his protégés Abdul Basit Usman and Amin Baco.

During the course of the investigation of the BOI, Magalong, who now heads the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management, said the commandos who survived the operation gave consistent accounts on how they executed Marwan in his hut on the early hours of January 25.

One of the survivors said it was immediately after the operation when Magalong spoke with them so they had “no time to fabricate stories.”

“I talked with the survivors separately and their statements were consistent with each other,” said Magalong.

For BBL?

Meanwhile, a government official who was familiar with the Mamasapano operation against Marwan expressed disappointment over the President’s claim that there’s still “an alternative truth” to the Mamasapano clash as if doubting the efforts of SAF to kill Marwan.

“It’s sad that this was stated by no less than the President who knew of the operation and gave his approval to launch it. Imagine this, you go in just to get the finger of Marwan or to confirm his death, sacrificing the lives 44 young men?” the official told INQUIRER.net.

The official also slammed some officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who had said that the SAF lied about how they killed Marwan, thus lying to the President and the families of SAF 44 as well.

“This just confirms that the AFP and the MILF [are] dancing partners. [The AFP is saying this] because Marwan was in their area and yet they failed to get him. There were allegations before from the AFP that the SAF is only after the reward. Maybe it’s the military who’s interested in the reward,” he said.

The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation placed a $5-million bounty on Marwan’s head.

The official added that it was “understandable” for Aquino to believe in Iqbal, whom he said “did not give his true name to the President and the OPPAP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process).

At the height of the Mamasapano controversy, Aquino had been under fire for pushing for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which covers the government’s peace agreement with the MILF, despite the participation of some MILF men in killing the 44 troopers.

“This is a ridiculous story that the SAF will not accept, especially for the 44 troopers who died,” he added.   Julliane Love De Jesus/AC

 Originally posted at 05:41 pm | Sunday, September 13, 2014

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