‘Noy angered by previous SAF failures to get Marwan’

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino reportedly expressed anger over previous police operations against suspected Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bir Hir, alias Marwan, that ended in failure, according to a senior officer of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).

Supt. Raymund Train, who led the SAF team that killed Marwan in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, recounted in a sworn statement the meeting he and senior SAF officers had with Aquino in Malacañang on Nov. 30.

Train said among the senior officers who attended the meeting were then PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima, SAF chief Director Getulio Napeñas, SAF deputy commander Chief Supt. Noli Taliño and intelligence group chief Senior Supt. Fernando Mendez.

He said they went to the Palace a few days after an operation launched that month against Marwan “was aborted due to mobility problem – mode of insertion was not doable.”

“The President was quite disappointed and I recall him saying, ‘Haste makes waste, you did not do your homework!’” Train said, adding the failed operation was dubbed Terminator 1.

He said that after the Palace meeting, they planned another mission called Terminator 2.

“Sometime in December, we executed the plan, but while traversing a river, we encountered an armed group, which prompted me to abort the mission again due to compromised situation.”

After those failures, SAF officers worked hard on Oplan Exodus, which they launched on Jan. 25, finally killing Marwan, but at the cost of 44 SAF lives.

Two other targets, Amin Baco alias Jihad, and Marwan’s Filipino deputy Basit Usman, escaped.

The 44 died in the ensuing clashes with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The MILF lost 18 men. At least five civilians caught in the crossfire died.

In his sworn statement, Napeñas mentioned two meetings they had with Aquino – one on Dec. 6 or 7 and the other on Jan. 9. There was no reference to the Nov. 30 meeting Train mentioned in his affidavit.

On Jan. 9, Purisima, Napeñas and Mendez updated Aquino on Oplan Exodus. At that time, the ombudsman had suspended Purisima on corruption charges.

A PNP investigator, who took Napeñas’ statement, asked him if Aquino approved Oplan Exodus.

The SAF chief said it was Purisima “who earlier approved the plan,” but that the President cited concerns about coordination with the Armed Forces (AFP) and the number of personnel to participate in the operation.

Asked what he told Aquino,  Napeñas said: “What I stated to the President was this, ‘With all due respect sir, compromised po ang AFP. Planning and preparation stages during big operations are compromised.’ The director, IG (referring to Mendez) also expressed his concern whenever coordination with the AFP is being undertaken.”

Asked about the President’s reaction, he said: “The President made no comment.”

Before the failed November missions, Napeñas said the SAF, joined by military forces in Maguindanao, conducted two operations against their terrorist targets on April 25 and May 30 last year. But they failed to get their targets.

On June 30, he said, the mechanized brigade of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao “conducted operations against Marwan and Usman at the same location without coordination with SAF, but they failed to neutralize Marwan and Usman.”

“This is the reason why in the other succeeding operations, the AFP was not included to avoid the possibility that it would be compromised,” Napeñas said.