‘Mis-encounter’
Military and police officials here confirmed today that there was
a mis-encounter that led to the death of 50 policemen, five MILF, and six BIFF.
Petinglay, chief of the 6th Infantry Division public affairs unit,
said the joint PNP SAF and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)
entered the remote village Tukanalipao, known bailiwick of the MILF and BIFF in
an effort to arrest Basit Usman, a suspected bomb-making expert in Mamasapano,
Maguindanao.
“We expect to retrieve the remains of government forces from the
village of Tukanalipao starting this morning,” Petinglay said.
“We are assisting the police,” she said, adding that the road from
Cotabato City to Isulan, Sultan Kudarat remained passable since the clash site
was about five kilometers away.
‘Will not affect peace process‘
Von Al Haq, chief of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces
(BIAF), believe the incident will not affect the peace process.
“There was no coordination with our troops on the ground that is
why there was a mis-encounter,” Al Haq said, adding that five MILF were killed
in the process.
Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, also believed the incident,
which he described as “isolated,” will not hinder the peace process.
500 families flee firefight
Mayor Benzar Ampatuan of Mamasapano town said about 500 families
have fled to nearby villages to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
“As far as the MILF is concerned, we have directed our troops to
disengage and they obeyed as of 4 p.m. Sunday, I do not know the BIFF, we have
no control over them,” he said in Filipino.
Petinglay said the PNP-SAF members were to serve warrant of arrest
for a high-value target in the area when the incident happened.
Among the target was Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, known
in military and police officials as "Marwan," when the group clashed
with BIFF under Commander Guiawan in Barangay Tukanalipao.
“They were also after Basit Usman,” he added. Usman is allegedly a
Jemaah Islamiyah bomb making expert.
“Na pacify na
yong putukan, but may mga armado pa doon, mga BIFF kaya’t di madali pasukin (The fighting has stopped, but armed
men are still there, BIFF, so it’s not easy to enter),” Mayor Ampatuan said.
The Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (HEART), which has jurisdiction over
Maguindanao, has been deployed to Mamasapano to extend aid to displaced
families.
It has also been verifying since Sunday afternoon the reported
deaths of three Tukanalipao villagers hit by stray bullets.
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