The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has claimed that its actions against the Philippine National Police Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF) were justified as the MILF combatants only fought back after they had been fired upon.
In a 35-page report submitted to the Senate on Tuesday, the MILF said the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces initially did not know that the forces that entered their territory were government troops. The MILF blamed the absence of prior coordination by the government forces for the misencounter.
“The BIAF members were justified in fighting back after it was fired upon by the PNP-SAF in Tukanalipao. Without prior coordination, the BIAF did not know that the forces in Sitio Amilil were government forces with whom there is a holding ceasefire agreement,” the MILF said in its report on the Mamasapano incident.
The MILF report said that more MILF men just living around the area helped out in the fighting as it went on and that there was no organized central command calling the shots in the actual firefight on January 25.
“As the fighting went on, more BIAF members who are residents of Tukanalipao and of nearby areas come to reinforce their comrades,” the MILF report said.
It explained that a total of more or less 100 MILF men were eventually engaged in the fighting
“As members of the MILF came to the site of the fighting spontaneously, there was no organized central command that was in charge of the whole engagement,” it said.
