RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Mamasapano Clash in Mindanao

I'm surprised that this didn't make the news overseas, as it involves an international terrorist who has a $5M bounty on his head and has ties with ISIS.

Cliff's Notes:

- Word got out that Zulkifli Abdhir AKA Marwan, a Malaysian terrorist who is on FBI's Most Wanted List, was hiding in the Philippines along with another terrorist, Basmit Usman. They were hiding out in Mamasapano, which is the bulwark of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a secessionist islamic group that is currently in peace talks with the government.

- The area is also home to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a splinter group of the MILF who didn't agree with the peace talks.

- The Philippine National Police's Special Action Force (the police, not the army) were sent to arrest Marwan, the operation was kept under wraps because they were trying to avoid leaks that would lead to Marwan and Usman getting away. They had no support from the AFP (armed forces of the phils) because it had to remain a police matter, as involving the army could jeopardize the peace talks.

- Marwan (who is a former engineer and an expert in bombs and explosives) had his hideout booby trapped with explosives. The explosives going off didn't kill any of the SAF, but it alerted Marwan and his bodyguards. A firefight ensued.

- The SAF allegedly got Marwan and wounded Usman, but before they were able to get the body, they were set upon by the BIFF and the MILF. Who allegedly were alerted by the firefight and thought they were being invaded by the army (note that they are under peace talks so why they would assume that is anybody's guess).

- The SAF's blocking force (around 80 or so policemen) retreated and half of them were stuck in a field that offered no cover, and were basically sitting ducks. They were trading fire with hundreds of MILF and BIFF rebels for hours, with limited ammo supply.

- The army weren't able to send reinforcements even though they had several stations nearby: different stories - official statement is that the SAF failed to give the correct coordinates and weren't able to provide covering fire. The word going around is that higher ups prevented them from getting involved, because it would affect the peace talks (a sort of personal project of the current president.)

- When they ran out of ammo, the SAF troops tried to surrender but they were executed. All but one of the SAF troops who were stuck in the fields were killed, a video was taken by the terrorists showing them executing the wounded and taking their guns and items of clothing.

- It's been uploaded on liveleak. It's really stomach-turning stuff, so turn away if you don't want to ruin your day. I tried to watch it but had to turn it off after a few seconds. liveleak.com/view?i=e52_1423575551

- There's a senate hearing currently going on, with the head of the MILF and its representatives, as well as the PNP and Army officials being questioned over what went wrong. the MILF still wants to pursue peace talks and claim that they thought they were being invaded by the army and that the PNP should have coordinated with them.

- The peace talks' condition is for the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) to be passed, which basically turns a large part of the country into a separate state that has its own laws, jurisdiction, police force, and funding.

- The AFP (the Army) claims that they could have provided reinforcement if the PNP coordinated with them. By the time they got word, it was reportedly too late.

- the inquest found that the PNP and AFP did have talks while planning the operation, and they had a meeting with the President himself over the operation a few days before the actual launch.

- The President denies responsibility, claiming that even though he's chief executive, the operation doesn't need his approval and the PNP and AFP went ahead without his input.

- Current heads of the PNP were either asked to resign or were suspended. One of the people who participated in the planning is a suspended PNP chief (a crony of the president) who had no right to be there, as he is currently suspended because he's being investigated for graft.

- Usman and Marwan's remaining troops have threatened to start bombing public places as retaliation. The BIFF and MILF claim to have no intel on where they are.

It's not getting play over here because none of the news anchors can say BIFF and MILF without cracking up.

Seriously, though, that's some fucked up shit. I'm surprised that the US didn't try and get in on the action with at least a drone or something if this guy was so high up on the FBI's list. But that's how scrambled our priorities are over here. We apparently too busy seizing illegal Land Rovers.

That is some serious shit. Our little soiree at Lindt Café in Sydney seems pretty blasé in comparison to 80 cops being executed in the field.

Holy crap.

The southern parts of the country is a scary place. It's still under the republic but local government officials are essentially feudal warlords and rule the region with impunity. They're the stuff that I only used to see in action movies as a child.

The Maguindanao Massacre that happened in 2009 is still unresolved to this day, many of those involved are in jail, but their trial is still ongoing. the Maguindanao Massacre was basically a clan war between two powerful political families - the Mangudadatus and the Ampatuans - when the Mangudadatu matriarch tried to run for a local seat, the Ampatuans' private army ambushed her and her convoy, along with 50+ journalists that were covering the Mangudadatus (she was about to file her certificate of candidacy.)

The Ampatuans' private army raped, tortured, and killed all 50+ journalists and Mangudadatu people. They were all buried in a mass grave.

(...and it's related to the Mamasapano clash, because Marwan's bodyguards/private army were reportedly supplied by the Ampatuans.)

Soooooooooo, like, why haven't you gone guerrilla and killed all the warlords yourself yet?

Because I am haunted by my past.

I think I told you I went to Zamboanga at the base of Mindanao, and a little town called Isabella on Basilan Island, in 1997. Moro people in canoes with their legs so stiffened by years or sitting and paddling that they could not stand straight, which was pretty amazing. But the other stuff was scary. Emergency exits on the ferry welded shut to stop pirates. Canadian accountant kidnapped the week before and being held for ransom by Islamist separatists. Bodyguard with a bared machete when I was in Isabella.

At night I holed up in my hotel, ate room service, and watched MTV because it was the only broadcast in English. Spice Girls were artist of the month and now I know the lyrics to every Spice Girls song. the hotel was near the docks. I was there for three days. There was a gunfight every night in the docks and I could hear the exchange of bullets under "If You Wanna Be My Lover".

Zamboanga was a really pretty place - super nice and clean white beach with a beach bar, which reminded me of Bali - but holy crap a lot wrong with it.

Why were you there again?

Maritime contractual dispute, back before I specialised out of commercial litigation.

I've known for about 15 year since I dated a girl from the Phillipines
(she is from Bohol) that Mindanao is a muslim island of the Phillipines, that is constantly attacking and kidnapping people from the Catholic islands to the North of it, many of the kidnap victims being foreigners in the Phillipines.

I'd think after all this time, and even military aid from the U.S., that the Mindanao problem at this point would have been reigned in.
But then again, look at Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Libya.