Brutality marked killing of cops in Mamasapano clash—survivor

The members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force were brutally killed when they tried to serve an arrest warrant on a "high value target" in the area, believed to be a rebel stronghold.
 

In a report on GMA News "24 Oras," the survivor said that the rebels took away the uniforms and night vision goggles from the police officers. They also used the firearms of the SAF members to shoot them at a close range.
 

To save himself, the survivor hid under the water lilies floating on a river. He was shot twice by a sniper but the rebels stopped pursuing him, thinking he was already dead. 

 

"Ini-sniper ako pero buti nalang nakatakas ako," he said. 

 

When he went out of the river, another group of rebels also attacked him and tried to take away his gun but he fought back. 

 

"Lahat sila, eight. Talagang niratrat ko talaga," the survivor said. 

 

"Pumunta ako sa may mais para 'di ako makita hanggang sa nagtanong ako sa matanda, 'Saan ang daan dito?' Buti't tinuro," he added. 

 

He then reached the place where police officers and the military were waiting. 

 

"Humiwalay na talaga ako kasi lahat sila may tama sila. Wala na, hopeless na," he also said. 

 

Finding Marwan

 

Mamasapano mayor Benzar Ampatuan said that the local government was not informed about the SAF operation to capture Malaysian bomb maker and Jemaah Islamiyah member Zulkifli Bin Hir, also known as "Marwan." 

 

"Wala talagang nasabi talaga... even the ground commander. Nalaman ko nalang na may operatives tayo sa loob around 7 a.m. dahil dumating pa sa bahay ko ang mga police natin, provincial police, at saka 'yung isang sundalo natin," he said. 

 

The team that had a clash with the rebels in Barangay Tukanalipao from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday was a special unit of the SAF called "Seaborne," which was from Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. This group was also trained in the United States.  

 

According to GMA News' intelligence sources, the group had been going around the area for five times already in search of Marwan. 

 

It was only when they intercepted a cellphone call from their target that they launched the operation to target him. 

 

However, the 70-member unit did not manage to win over the 300 members of BIFF coddling the terrorist plus other members of MILF, the report said. —NB, GMA News