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Police promise ''truth'' in disastrous Philippine raid
(MENAFN- Arab News) MANILA: Philippine police say they are confident that they have found ''the truth'' of what happened during a disastrous operation against one of the world''s most wanted militants that left 44 police commandos dead officials said Thursday.
Forty-four police commandos were slaughtered by rebels in a cornfield in the southern Philippines during a high-risk raid that also reportedly killed alleged Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir who goes by the alias ''Marwan.''
The botched operation on 25 January has shaken the government of President Benigno Aquino who in a recent speech blamed the head of the police commando unit Getulio Napenas for feeding him wrong information ahead of the campaign which he also said should have been aborted.
''We are confident that we were able to seek out the truth and we are also confident that we would be able to tell you what really happened'' said Benjamin Magalong head of the national police''s investigation group.
Megalong said it would be up to the government whether to make the findings public and denied suggestions that Aquino''s allegations had influenced the inquiry.
The 120-page report was submitted to the national police chief Deputy Director Leonardo Espina who is expected to send it to Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas.
Megalong stressed his report did not recommend specific criminal charges against anyone for the bungled raid.
''We only do fact-finding. We are not prosecutorial'' he added.
The pre-dawn raid on a secluded farming village controlled by rebels was meant to be a surprise attack but hundreds of rebels surrounded and overpowered the commandos in a day-long battle.
Forty-four police commandos were slaughtered by rebels in a cornfield in the southern Philippines during a high-risk raid that also reportedly killed alleged Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir who goes by the alias ''Marwan.''
The botched operation on 25 January has shaken the government of President Benigno Aquino who in a recent speech blamed the head of the police commando unit Getulio Napenas for feeding him wrong information ahead of the campaign which he also said should have been aborted.
''We are confident that we were able to seek out the truth and we are also confident that we would be able to tell you what really happened'' said Benjamin Magalong head of the national police''s investigation group.
Megalong said it would be up to the government whether to make the findings public and denied suggestions that Aquino''s allegations had influenced the inquiry.
The 120-page report was submitted to the national police chief Deputy Director Leonardo Espina who is expected to send it to Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas.
Megalong stressed his report did not recommend specific criminal charges against anyone for the bungled raid.
''We only do fact-finding. We are not prosecutorial'' he added.
The pre-dawn raid on a secluded farming village controlled by rebels was meant to be a surprise attack but hundreds of rebels surrounded and overpowered the commandos in a day-long battle.
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