Jaafar says MILF probe report sent to IMT

COTABATO CITY—-An investigating body formed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has affirmed that the lack of coordination between government forces and the MILF, through the established channels set up by a peace agreement, has led to the bloody clash in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao that left 64 people dead, 44 of them police commandos.

Ghazali Jaafar, MILF first vice chair for political affairs, said one of the findings of the investigation report submitted by his group to the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), was that the absence of coordination, as should have been done under the ceasefire mechanism, caused the problem.

Jaafar also said some of the slain commandos of the police’s Special Action Force (SAF) “were used as shields by their comrades at the height of the fighting.”

He said the report showed that the gunman shown in a video footage finishing off a wounded SAF commando is not an MILF member.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said the MILF’s 35-page report was submitted to the IMT on Sunday.

Iqbal said that in keeping with the protocols of the peace process, the report would have to go through the IMT, which keeps track of the implementation of a ceasefire accord between the parties.

The MILF formed a special investigation committee to probe the Mamasapano incident, originally for its internal use. As public uproar developed, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Department of Justice asked the MILF to share its findings with the government.

Iqbal, in a telephone interview on Monday, said the IMT would furnish the MILF’s counterpart in the government a copy of the report on the

Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash that left 44 police commandos, 17 Moro rebels and three civilians dead.

Used as ‘shields’

Von Al Haq, chief of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), earlier told the Inquirer that part of the findings explained that some of the 44 slain SAF members were shot at close range because they were used as “shields” by their companions.

“Our findings indicated that we did not fire the first shot. We even lost two fighters when SAF members opened fire at them while crossing the bridge,” he said.

Al Haq said MILF members involved in the incident would be punished for violations of the BIAF code of conduct and in accordance with Sharia Law.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) earlier assured the Senate that it will get a copy of the MILF report once the agency receives a copy through the IMT.

In a statement, Polly Michelle Cunanan, Opapp communications head, said Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate committee on local government, wrote Opapp on Tuesday to ask for the MILF’s probe report.

Marcos also advised the agency of a joint hearing of the committees on local government and on peace, unification and reconciliation on April 13 to discuss the ceasefire mechanism established by the government and the MILF. With a report from Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao