Mamasapano Massacre: Many Questions, Few Answers

The country is in uproar following the killing of 44 elite police commandos in Mamasapano, Mindanao, who had covertly entered an area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the dead of night to “serve warrants of arrest” on two notorious bomb-making terrorists, one Malaysian (Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan”) and one Filipino (Abdul Basit Usman).

What happened? At about 4.00 a.m. on Sunday, January 25, a small force of about 36 Philippine National Police (PNP) special action forces (SAF), part of a larger PNP-SAF group of 400 police commandos, surprised and killed Marwan following armed resistance by “unknown persons” who were “protecting” him. 

The gunfire alerted nearby MILF fighters.  As the small SAF unit attempted to retreat, they first came under fire from armed MILF forces and, at a later stage, from related fighters with the rebel Bangsamoro Independence Fighting Force (BIFF) who are known to be related to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

A secondary SAF unit of police commandos (which was tasked to capture Usman) was supposed to protect the escape route of the primary unit; but they themselves came under fire from combined MILF and BIFF forces, suffered casualties and were unable to come to the aid of their comrades.  

While events on the ground are still under investigation, it seems that the primary unit (tasked to arrest Marwan) was pinned down in an open cornfield during an 11-hour firefight. 

The SAF police commandos were not heavily armed and eventually ran out of ammunition.  Despite calls for help to both their own PNP-SAF commanders and to AFP-Army units, no help was forthcoming.  Combined MILF-BIFF forces are alleged to have used mortars against the trapped policemen.  Later, they executed unarmed, wounded SAF commandos, mutilated their bodies and stole their weapons, uniforms and personal possessions, including cell phones.  Some families received taunting calls on those phones telling family members that their loved ones would not be coming home.

The sheer savagery of the attack and the awful loss of 44 police commandos have saddened and outraged the Philippines.

It should be remembered that the “facts” I have reported here all derive from newspapers and TV.  They may be corroborated or disputed as the story evolves and as various official inquiries are completed.

Three points of general background.  

1.  The MILF is supposedly a “partner in peace” with the Philippines. Under various peace accords there are mechanisms for coordinating any Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP-Army) movements in defined MILF “areas”.  

2.  No sovereign territory has been ceded by the Philippines under any peace accord to MILF or any other group in Mindanao.  It is not clear whether this police (as opposed to Army) action to “serve arrest warrants” required any prior coordination with MILF—especially as the two wanted men were notorious international terrorists related to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.  

3.  It is clear, as far as I can work out, that PNP-SAF has the right to execute legal warrants of arrest on known terrorists in any part of Philippine sovereign territory—and that includes any part of Mindanao.

OK--back to the story. 

The government was ominously quiet for three whole days after what was now being called a “massacre” of the 44 SAF police commandos.  On top of that was the loss of an undisclosed number of "associated persons” (trackers, informants and guides).  On the other side, 18 MILF-BIFF fighters were killed and at least 5 civilians were caught in the crossfire.  There were also rumors that one “Caucasian” body was found in the cornfield. 

The media had a field day.  Along with many hard, incontestable facts there were rumors, speculation, totally misleading accounts of what might have happened and expressions of outrage in many columns and editorials. 

Finally, on the fourth day, President “ Noy Noy” Aquino gave an address to the nation and then attempted to answer media questions.

Just as upsetting as the the killings in the public mind were the evasive and inept responses given by the President to the following questions: 

Had the President himself approved the operation? 

Who was actually in charge of the operation given that the Chief of PNP-SAF, General Purisima, was under suspension for six months while a graft investigation was underway? 

Why were the Acting Chief of PNP-SAF (General Espina) and the Secretary of the Interior (Mar Roxas) kept in the dark about the operation?

Why was there no coordination between PNP-SAF and AFP-Army?

Was the US was involved in the operation (dubbed “Oplan Wolverine”)? 

And, most critically, why were the MILF “partners in peace” involved in this brutal firefight in combination with the outlawed BIFF?

At the end of his address, the President somewhat awkwardly asked that people “keep the larger picture” (peace) in mind; but he did indicate that MILF and BIFF would be “held accountable” and that all firearms and personal items of the fallen police commandos should be returned. 

The MILF's initial response was negative on all counts. It said that it was a “misencounter” and not “a massacre”; that it had also suffered losses; and that its forces were entitled to defend “their territory”.  The MILF response was as politically tone deaf as some of the President’s own statements.

The newspaper and TV accounts were hostile after the address and things went from bad to worse for the President.

Based upon the President’s own national address, it seemed clear (despite a lot of evasions and rhetorical questions), that he had dealt directly with the suspended Chief of PNP, General Purisima, not the Acting Chief, General Espina; had by-passed his own Secretary of the Interior (a possible successor as President); that General Purisima had dealt directly (albeit remotely) with the operational commander (General Napenas) of the PNP-SAF units involved; and that the President had no idea why there was no coordination with the AFP-Army.  

The fact that the President had been trying to push through a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) setting out the “fundamental terms of lasting peace” with the MILF, suddenly brought it under a harsh spotlight—especially as it had many constitutional problems and was considered to be “giving away the farm” by many of its opponents. 

To add “insult to injury” (as many newspapers termed it), the President went to the opening of a Mitsubishi car plant instead of attending the ceremonial return of the 44 bodies at the airbase; and then turned up late the next day at the memorial service for the 44 fallen policemen.  

He spent a lot of time with the families of the fallen who wanted answers not political condolences; and he met with SAF officers who kept silent and averted their eyes when he constantly asked them what their sentiments were and whether they had any questions.  A “PR disaster” declared many newspapers—especially as it was only the Malacanang Palace press corps which was allowed to be present.

When things get bad in politics, you have to find a scapegoat.  Accordingly, the PNP-SAF commander, General Napenas, was relieved of his command.  General Purisima did not bother to say anything; nor did he attend the ceremonial return of the bodies or the memorial service for the fallen.  He had more important business--a “Masons’ Meeting in Saipan”.  That’s how much he cared for the men under his command. 

The President, desperately casting around for some connection with his unhappy populace, and finally understanding that things were not looking so good, appointed a Department of Justice (DOJ) committee to investigate what might have happened.  This move merely angered people even more because they suspected that it might be an attempt to “whitewash” the whole sad incident. 

For good measure, the PNP-SAF set up its own board of inquiry, as did the AFP-Army.  The MILF set up its own investigation but said that it was purely for its own “internal purposes” and would not be made public.  Even the International Monitoring Group set up an inquiry.

Both the Senate and Congress set up their own investigations.  There were calls (and continue to be calls) for a truly independent “Truth Commission”.  

The Vice-President, Jejomar Binay, who is under investigation himself for graft, a political rival of the President and the leading contender to be the next President, helpfully suggested that the Independent Bar Committee (an ally of his) should be the “Truth Commission” to avoid a “whitewash”.  

We are told that at last count there are some 8 different investigations going on.  The “truth” is bound to get buried under this avalanche of committees and investigating panels.  The public remains distinctly unimpressed and knows exactly what is going on.  The political maneuvers are beyond pathetic in their view.  

One bright moment.  At some point, it was confirmed by the FBI that they had compared the DNA sample (from a finger) of slain terrorist Marwan with that of his brother, currently residing in a Californian jail.   They said that it was indeed Marwan who had been killed in the police commando raid.  

If there was any good news in an otherwise unhappy chain of events, it was that the 44 police commandos had achieved their operational objective; and that the person responsible for the bombing that killed over 200 people in Bali and countless others elsewhere, had been taken out. (The Filipino terrorist bomb-maker, Usman, managed to escape and is in hiding somewhere in Maguindanao Province). 

Last Friday, the President made another address to the nation, lamely accepting that ultimate responsibility lay with him as Commander in Chief.  He also indicated that that he had accepted General Purisma’s resignation—but not before explaining at length why he invested so much trust in him to carry out Oplan Wolverine, despite his legal suspension.  Remarkably, it was largely because it was Purisima who had saved his life in an attack many years ago.  (Not exactly a sound principle on which to base a complex and secret police operation).

I do not know whether it is true but there are rumors that the press has been put under some sort of gag order—there is precious little new information coming out—but just today I was intrigued to see that there are credible reports from someone who was on the ground at the time of the operation that a US drone was up above filming the terrible events on the ground.  I wonder whether any such film will be made available or admitted in evidence during any of the 8 inquiries?

It does not really bolster US claims of  “no involvement”.  Even more so when you remember that the US had placed a $5 million reward on the head of Marwan; and that US helicopters were dispatched immediately after the battle to take out the fallen police commandos. 

We will all have to wait for the findings of the various investigative bodies, none of which are likely to be impartial or unaffected by political considerations.  In the meantime, we are left to speculate about what really happened.  

Somewhat cynically, I think that it is not too hard to work out what was really going on.  In essence, I think Operation Wolverine (not a well-known inhabitant of the Philippines!) was planned, in conjunction with the US, as a daring Filipino “copy” of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

Only the President could have given the green light for this operation--especially as there were very delicate ongoing peace negotiations with MILF and a controversial bill being debated on the BBL.  Passage of the BBL would "cement Noy Noy’s legacy” and it is unlikely that anyone would have dared to mount an operation that might upset that goal.  

In addition, the President had been involved in, or knew about, repeated but unsuccessful attempts by both the US (including a drone strike) and the Philippine government to capture or kill Marwan over the last three years.  This whole matter was very much on his mind and in his bailiwick.

What spurred the operation?  It seems that "the intelligence services” (US or Philippines?) had very recently pinpointed Marwan’s precise location in the township of Mamasapano through intercepted calls to his wife’s cell phone.  One can imagine the US pressure to act upon this intelligence.  

Who was under the gun to act?  It is highly unlikely that General Napenas, the SAF operational commander, would have the power or means to plan, fund and deploy 400 police commandos from different parts of the Philippines to Mindanao in total secrecy and without reference to the Secretary of the Interior (his civilian boss), the Acting Chief of PNP-SAF (his direct boss), the AFP-Army or the MILF.   

Nor could it have been done by suspended General Purisima all by himself.  The President did not want to admit it at the beginning but very few people (and certainly not the press) believed that anyone but Noy Noy gave the order to go ahead with the operation.

Why the secrecy?  Many reasons.  It is highly unlikely that Marwan would have been captured or killed if the Philippine government had informed MILF in advance that police commandos were coming to catch him.  He was, after all, hiding in a MILF and BIFF “area”.  Wasn’t that the same reason that the US did not inform the Pakistani government that they were coming to get bin Laden? He was hiding in the Pakistani equivalent of West Point.  So, presumably, there was no trust in the “peace partner” MILF. 

Why was the operation kept secret from Mar Roxas?  We don’t know. Because Mar Roxas has a reputation for messing things up?  (Roxas famously mishandled the Typhoon Yolanda rescue operations and has committed other embarrassing political gaffes).

Why was the operation kept secret from General Espina?  Again, we don’t know.  But, by the President’s own admission, he had been dealing with Purisima on this operation before his suspension for graft.  It is not difficult to imagine that the President preferred to keep Oplan Wolverine close to his chest (especially if the US was covertly involved) and preferred to deal directly with his trusted Purisima, not General Espina.  

Who knows, Noy Noy might have thought that if Oplan Wolverine was a huge success, Purisima would be viewed as a hero, graft charges would be forgotten and that the debt he owed to Purisima (utang na loob) for saving his life would be well and truly repaid? 

Why no coordination with the AFP-Army?  This is, perhaps, the most startling revelation in the whole ill-fated operation.  The AFP-Army knows the terrain in the Mamasapano area very well.  They have good communications with the MILF.  In fact, because they are so well coordinated, there have been no untoward incidents with the MILF for over 3 years.  

On the other hand, it is alleged that the SAF police commandos were not at all familiar with the terrain.  There were even public accusations by the AFP-Army that the two SAF units under attack did not know where they were and could not give the Army coordinates when they called for help.  

Could the President have kept the operation secret from the AFP-Army because there might be push back by the Army? Or did he fear that under the various peace accords, the Army might feel bound to “coordinate" with the MILF if they were asked to move into their  “areas" (and thereby unwittingly compromise the operation)?

And, finally, did the President himself think that he would come out as a hero and garner most of the praise for himself.  It is known that the President and an entourage of Cabinet members were in Zamboanga in Mindanao on the very morning that Oplan Wolverine commenced.  Why?  

Because a bomb had recently gone off in Zamboanga and 2 people had been killed and 55 injured.  The President said he wanted to meet the families of the dead and wounded and to “understand” the background of the bombings.  

If Operation Wolverine had been successful, would he and the Cabinet members who were with him (including Mar Roxas and the Secretary of Defence!) have been on hand to congratulate the victorious commandos; and to proudly proclaim the elimination of Marwan and Usman and the end of their horrendous bombing campaigns? 

We don’t know.  It is sad that we don’t know because the big blank spaces are of the President’s own making; and all the speculation and rumors are spawned by the lack of real information about what really happened at the highest levels of government.  

At the operational level, the lack of information is much more understandable.  It will take time to piece together all the various actions on the ground; to interview all those who were involved in ground operations; and, just as important, to interview all those involved on the MILF/BIFF side and in the civilian population.

If any of the above turns out to be true or even half true, then I think President Aquino will have largely undone or compromised his own peace initiative which has been hailed as a major breakthrough after many years of futile war and massive casualties among the civilian population (200,000 killed and millions displaced—another Syria, in effect).  There are already signs that the BBL may be delayed indefinitely in the Congress.

It is very easy to view every attack and every armed incident in Mindanao as a “Muslim” problem.  Probably nothing is further from the truth.  The general Muslim (and Christian) civilian population in Mindanao is largely at the mercy of armed rebel groups who, like many other rebel groups throughout the world, “hide” in the midst of civilian populations.  These so-called “fighters” are the extremists in the population, driven by or hiding behind some religious cause in many cases.  

Whatever their motivations (which include banditry, kidnapping, coercion and worse), they prey upon the civilian population.  Doubtless, some in the civilian population are sympathizers; but in most cases, they are victims of the very “terror” that the extremists are supposed to be inflicting on their real or imagined enemies.

At this time, it is important to remember the suffering of the civilian population as well.  They are trampled like the grass when the proverbial elephants fight.  The Mamasapano incident has resulted in the flight of many, many thousands of poor people in the area affected.  There was a heartbreaking story of a woman who had lost her husband in the fighting and would now have to flee yet another farm on which they had been eking out a living.  This had happened three times before.

Unending war only serves a few. Peace is the great objective; but we have to have the right partners with whom to make peace, and those partners have to have control of their forces just as much as any government and army has to have tight control over its soldiers.  

It is hard to say how the BBL will fare in current circumstances.  But I doubt whether it will survive if it is ostensibly unconstitutional; if, as alleged, a “sub-State” is being carved out in Mindanao for the MILF; and if the “partners in peace” are not true partners at all.  (Shades of “allies” like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia)?

In my view, the MILF (and most certainly BIFF) have to be held accountable for their actions before there can be any hope for the BBL.  And the President, the government, the AFP-Army, the PNP-SAF and the MILF  must provide honest answers to a host of critical questions. 

Only in this way will the people and government of the Philippines be able to honor those brave police commandos who did what they were asked to do against impossible odds.

May they rest in peace.