Innocent civilians among respondents in multiple murder raps—Mamasapano mayor

MAMASAPANO—Mamasapano Mayor Benzar Ampatuan  has expressed fear that innocent civilians from his town were among the 90 individuals that the Department of Justice recently charged in connection with the Mamasapano incident.

“I will help them,” Ampatuan said of the concerned respondents.

“In the first place, I personally know they were not involved,” he added.

He said these supposed private armed groups were linked to the Ampatuan clan but insisted the PAGs have long been disbanded after the Maguindanao massacre in late 2009.

Ampatuan expressed willingness to help government authorities in identifying those charged who are members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The Mamasapano incident happened after Special Action Force commandos swooped down on the lair of suspected terrorist Marwan on January 25.

The commandos killed Marwan but afterwards encountered members of the MILF, BIFF and PAGs.

The incident left 44 SAF, 17 MILF and three civilians dead.

On Tuesday, charges of multiple murder, direct assault and theft to 90 persons, 26 of whom were MILF, 12 BIFF and 52 private armed group members for the death of 35 out of 44 SAF members.

Meanwhile, Abu Misri Mama, speaking for the BIFF, said there could be another “Mamasapano massacre” case if the government security forces entered the BIFF territoryto serve the warrants of arrest.

Mama insisted that the BIFF “only defended our turf” when the police elite force entered Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

“The government must be joking when it said it has warrants of arrest for the BIFF, they cannot get any of those charged,” Mama said in Filipino. —NB, GMA News