MILF fighters killed Usman, Jaafar insists  

Moro Islamic Liberation Front vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said the group's fighters were the ones who killed suspected terrorist and bombmaker Abdul Basit Usman when they tried to bring him to the Central Committee on Sunday. 

 

Jaafar said members of the 118th Base Command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the MILF chanced upon Usman and tried to convince him to go to the Central Committee. Usman agreed but later became suspicious of the fighters.  

 

"So bago magtanghali 'yun, so along the way, on the way na, on the way na sila, parang nagduda si Basit Usman. Bakit siya dadalhin sa Central Committee? So gumawa siya ng marahas na action... sapagkat nagduda nga eh. So nagkaroon ng ng putukan between our men at siya at 'yung kasama niya na hindi naman marami, sa putukan tinamaan siya at namatay," he explained. 

 

The MILF's version of the events is different from that of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 
 

The AFP said that it wsa a military intelligence asset who shot and killed Usman when he was getting ready to follow the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout via radio broadcast. 

 

The military asset then started an argument about the bounty on Usman, shots were fired, and the bombmaker lay dead when the skirmish was over.

 

It was at that point, according to AFP chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Jr., when MILF fighters made an appearance as they had rushed to where they heard the shooting.

 

But Jaafar insisted that MILF's story is legit. 

 

"Iba 'yung information. Palagay ko 'yung official na version itong pinaliwanag ko sa iyo, at 'yan ang totoo," he said. 

 

Moreover, he said that what the MILF fighters did only showed that the group is not coddling Usman. In fact, the Central Committee instructed all base commands of the MILF not to associate themselves with any criminal. 

 

"Nagpapatunay na hindi totoo 'yung allegation laban sa amin na kina-coddle namin si Basit Usman at including Marwan. That's number one. Number two, patay na si Basit Usman so hindi na magiging problema ng gobyerno, ng AFP sapagkat wala na, namatay," Jaafar said. 

 

He also explained that although it was the MILF fighters that killed Usman, they were not able to secure his body since the bombmakers allies already got hold of it. 

 

"Nakuha ng mga kasama niya 'yung bangkay, tumakas at dinala sa ibang lugar. At ayun sa tradition ng Muslim, 'pag merong Muslim [na] namatay within 24 hours dapat ilibing, so nilibing siya. by now nalibing na," he said. — with Tricia Macas/RSJ, GMA News