Moro rebels fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao accused the Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) of back-tracking its findings on the February 4 massacre of eight Muslims including a pregnant woman and two children in Maimbung, Sulu.
“Finding itself isolated for clearly easily absolving soldiers involved in the Maimbung massacre, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had backtracked that it is not yet done with their investigation on the massacre…” according to a report from Luwaran.com.
But Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga, the AFP WesMinCom commander, refuted the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF’s) claim saying that the findings only covered the initial investigation and that the military had never cleared those involved.
The WesMinCom commanding general said that what they issued were initial findings of the WesMinCom’s Inspector General that the operation was legitimate.
“However, this pronouncement is a complete retraction of what was previously announced. On February 27 the same Army officer cleared the government troops of any accountability on the deaths of the civilians,” an MILF source said.
The military findings, it said, showed that the houses bore no bullet holes from the operating troops’ firing direction but the hails of bullets came from the mangrove where the gunmen were believed to have positioned.
Reacting to statement by Allaga that the soldiers could not have done the killing since they were well trained, Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said the issue is not whether or not the soldiers are well trained or not.
The issue, he said, is whether they did it or not, adding that killers can be more harmful if they are well-trained. He urged the AFP to allow an third neutral body, preferably by the United Nations Human Rights body, to probe the massacre in order to give credibility to whatever findings being made.
The MILF senior leader claimed that the AFP has a very poor record as far as human rights are concerned, citing so many massacres done to the Moro people in the past.
The military’s Inspector General had earlier reported that the operation conducted by the Navy’s special forces and the US-trained Light Reaction Co. in Maimbung was legitimate. But this report triggered outrage among moro groups and an NGO.
The findings are sanitized aimed at lessening the burden of responsibility to members of the elite troops. Acting as judge for itself will lead to nowhere and no justice is expected forthcoming,” the MILF said.
“Pure lies,” said the Suara Bangsamoro party-list. For the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), “They (military) disregard the damage to lives, limbs and property. They even disregard the findings of investigations by human rights groups and even the Commission on Human Rights.”
“Finding itself isolated for clearly easily absolving soldiers involved in the Maimbung massacre, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) had backtracked that it is not yet done with their investigation on the massacre…” according to a report from Luwaran.com.
But Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga, the AFP WesMinCom commander, refuted the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF’s) claim saying that the findings only covered the initial investigation and that the military had never cleared those involved.
The WesMinCom commanding general said that what they issued were initial findings of the WesMinCom’s Inspector General that the operation was legitimate.
“However, this pronouncement is a complete retraction of what was previously announced. On February 27 the same Army officer cleared the government troops of any accountability on the deaths of the civilians,” an MILF source said.
The military findings, it said, showed that the houses bore no bullet holes from the operating troops’ firing direction but the hails of bullets came from the mangrove where the gunmen were believed to have positioned.
Reacting to statement by Allaga that the soldiers could not have done the killing since they were well trained, Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said the issue is not whether or not the soldiers are well trained or not.
The issue, he said, is whether they did it or not, adding that killers can be more harmful if they are well-trained. He urged the AFP to allow an third neutral body, preferably by the United Nations Human Rights body, to probe the massacre in order to give credibility to whatever findings being made.
The MILF senior leader claimed that the AFP has a very poor record as far as human rights are concerned, citing so many massacres done to the Moro people in the past.
The military’s Inspector General had earlier reported that the operation conducted by the Navy’s special forces and the US-trained Light Reaction Co. in Maimbung was legitimate. But this report triggered outrage among moro groups and an NGO.
The findings are sanitized aimed at lessening the burden of responsibility to members of the elite troops. Acting as judge for itself will lead to nowhere and no justice is expected forthcoming,” the MILF said.
“Pure lies,” said the Suara Bangsamoro party-list. For the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), “They (military) disregard the damage to lives, limbs and property. They even disregard the findings of investigations by human rights groups and even the Commission on Human Rights.”
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