Aquino declares nat'l day of mourning after Mamasapano clash

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday declared a national day of mourning for the 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNPSAF) that were killed in a covert operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

Aquino made the announcement in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening, in which he described the fallen policemen as "heroes."

He said the national day of mourning will be on Friday, January 30.

The elite policemen were killed in a "misencounter" with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Sunday.

The commandos were supposed to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino Basit Usman, both bomb experts linked to the Jemaah Islamiya terror group