Mamasapano clash

The Mamasapano clash, also known as the Mamasapano Massacre, was a police
operation, codenamed Oplan Exodus, which took place on Sunday, January 25, 2015,
at Tukanalipao,Mamasapano, Maguindanao, by Special Action Force (SAF) of
thePhilippine National Police (PNP) (allegedly joined by United StatesArmy Special
Forces) against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF). The operation was intended to capture or kill wanted Malaysian
terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists and/or highranking members of the BIFF.
Originally a mission to serve arrest warrants for high-ranking terrorists, it led to the
deaths of 44 members of SAF, 18 from MILF and 5 from the BIFF, and several civilians,
and the death of Zulkifli Abdhirconfirmed by the FBI and the PNP at 6:30 p.m. of
February 4, 2015 due to a matching DNA result. He was one of FBI's most wanted
terrorists. Getulio Napeas, the relieved SAF commander, estimates about 250 deaths
from the combined MILF, BIFF, and private militias during the encounter although this
was not confirmed and was met with skepticism since aside from the fact that there was
no actual body count, there is no acceptable level of evidence to prove his claim. [24]
[25]
Napenas' estimate was also debunked by the MILF and by the local government
of Mamasapano.[26][27][28]
The operation caught the attention of many for the relatively high number of police
officers killed. The clash has been dubbed as the biggest loss of government elite
force in history.[29] The mission was called Oplan Exodus, initially misattributed
as Oplan Wolverine by the local media. Oplan Wolverine refers to three of the
other nine prior operation attempts targeting Marwan; Oplan Wolverine 1, 2 and 3
launched in December 2012, March and May 2014 respectively. [22][30]by the PNP-SAF.
The incident caused the Philippine Congress to halt the passage of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law, effectively endangering the peace process between the government and
the MILF.

Incident[edit]
On Sunday, January 25, 2015, three platoons of the elite SAF police squad entered the guerrilla
enclave of Tukanalipao, Mindanao,Philippines, with the goal of detaining two high-ranking Jemaah
Islamiyah-affiliated, improvised-explosive-device experts, Zulkifli Abdhir(also known as Marwan)
and Abdul Basit Usman. The SAF troops raided the hut where they believed Marwan was located,
and the man they believe to be Marwan engaged them in a firefight and was killed. The SAF initially
planned to take his body for identification. However, the shooting alerted the BIFF and MILF 118th
Command in the area. The SAF had no time to retrieve the body so they just cut off a finger, took a
photo, and left his body there. By 6:18 AM UTC+8 (PST), an SMSmessage was sent by the
Commander of SAF 61D Battalion to SAF Director Getulio Napeas that they were pinned down at

coordinates 6.92489N 124.52047E.[4] What followed was a bloody encounter that left 44 SAF, 18
MILF, and 5 BIFF dead.
On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, the FBI confirmed to the PNP that the DNA sample from the
finger matched that of Marwan's brother detained in a U.S. facility.
A MILF spokesman accused the SAF squads of initiating the firefight, claiming that the rebels acted
in self-defense, and proposed the continuation of the peace process. [31]
Abu Misri Mama, BIFF spokesman, said that his rebel group's relationship with the MILF's 105th
Command headed by Ustadz Zacaria Guma is positive. We're all family, Mama commenting on
BIFF's relationship with Guma's unit. Mama said that there is no distinction between BIFF members
and members of Guma's unit and claims that all of them are either relatives or friends of each other.
It was reported that Guma's unit would engage other MILF units over disputes such as clan feuds. It
was also reported that Guma is not on good terms with other MILF units which Guma views as
"Munafiq", or hypocrites.[11]
A ranking military intelligence officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that BIFF
leader Ameril Umbra Kato ordered the killing of the SAF members by his group and members of the
MILF involved in the incident. The official also quoted Kato as saying Leave no one alive and take
all their firearms, ammunition, and personal belongings. A colonel from the Philippine Army, who
also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the information and said that SAF personnel who
were still alive but wounded were shot dead by some BIFF members.[12]
A private armed group led by Datu Bahnarin Ampatuan was reportedly among those involved in the
killings of the SAF members. Bahnarin Ampatuan, who is also implicated in the Maguindanao
massacre case, is the brother of Mamasapano mayor Benzar Ampatuan. Bahnarin and Benzar
Amputuan were rivals at the 2010 Mayoral elections. Benzar expressed doubt of his brother's
participation and believes that Bahnarin would not associate himself with such groups like the BIFF
nor to people like Abdul Basit Usman who made an attempt to kill Benzar's grandfather.[13]

Special Action Force[edit]

A total of 44 SAF personnel were killed during the encounter. #Fallen44 became a worldwide trend
on social media siteTwitter as an effort to honor the 44 slain SAF members.[32]The SAF casualties
were later dubbed as the Fallen 44. The incident saw one of the highest fatalities of government
forces in a single peace time operation.

Targets[edit]
The two agencies that cooperated during the battle, the Philippine National Police and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, confirmed on Wednesday February 4, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. that Zulkifli Abdhir,
also known as Marwan, was officially killed during the Mamasapano encounter due to a matching
DNA test.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][citation clutter] The MILF later said that, based on an intelligence report that they
had received, Marwan was dead as a result of an encounter. MILF chairman Al-Hajj Murad
Ebrahim said that, based on their information, Marwan who was in his nipa hut home was
surrounded by SAF troops and was reported to open fire first and that SAF officers were able to
shoot Marwan dead. Marwan's body was reportedly left at the hut and was immediately buried.
Ebrahim also said that Abdul Basit Usman, who was also pursued by SAF troops, was able to
escape.[43]
Last Jan. 25, the whole Philippine nation was saddened to learn about the massacre of the 44 Philippine
National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) which happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. It
was a costly clash between the SAF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). As stated in the reports, those SAF were there to serve the arrest
warrants to high-profile international terrorists. They did kill one of the two targets but unfortunately, these
brave men lost their lives as well.
Many Filipinos sent their sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families of the Fallen 44. Many are
calling for justice and would like to know how this disastrous event happened. We will need to wait for the
investigations to roll in order for us to know the facts behind this Mamasapano clash.
After hearing about this, my cousin, Ton Concepcion and his team, decided to give tribute to the Fallen 44
through the Condura Skyway Marathon 2015. He is the chief organizing officer of this yearly marathon
and the president and COO of Condura. This is the seventh year of the marathon which has a theme of
Run for a Hero. More than 15,000 runners participated in the event. It may seem to be is a simple
marathon, but it turned out to be an emotional tribute.
Some 4.4 kilometers from the finish line, 44 members of the PNP formed a line and held framed pictures
of their comrades who died in Mamasapano. As runners passed by, they saluted and paid their respects
to the soldiers. Some even stopped in front of the pictures to send their condolences. Some even ran
barefoot just to show their deep respect and homage to the SAF members. It was also their way to
express their gratitude for protection and sacrifice made by the SAF 44 for the safety of the nation.
Participants had to hold back their tears as they felt the emotion of everyone who wanted to give respect.
It was a heart warming event, seeing the runners eagerness to mourn with the slain SAFs families.

Investigations will start right away and Im sure that it might take a while to see the end of this issue. We
in Go Negosyo send our sympathies and prayers to the fallen heroes and their families. We offer our
services and programs to the bereaved family members of the SAF 44. We hope that their death will be
given justice and that those who are responsible will be held liable.