Cayetano: Documents, emails betray terrorist Marwan’s ties to the MILF

By AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMA News | Google images

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday presented documents that supposedly showed close ties between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and called on the government to negotiate peace with a Moro group other than the MILF.

 

Cayetano said he had in his possession a copy of the warrant of arrest and indictment filed by the United States government against Marwan's brother Rahmat Abdhir, as well as emails between the two brothers allegedly detailing the Marwan's ties with the MILF.

He said the documents were dated between 2005 to 2007. He said he got the documents from his own research by following news reports, intelligence reports from the Philippine National Police, and other sources on the ground.

 

“Dito dinetalye ng Estados Unidos yung mga email nung magkapatid at pinapakita ang kaniyang relationship sa MILF, at minsan ay humihingi pa siya ng pera pambili ng magagandang baril na usually wala, ipinapakita na mga MILF commanders ang kausap niya,” Cayetano told reporters after an executive session at the Senate on the Mamasapano clash.

 

“Humingi si Marwan ng pera abroad sa terrorist networks to buy guns. Sa emails mismo ng magkakapatid, si Marwan at kapatid niya sa US, kinikwento niya yung mga nangyayari sa Pilipinas, yung mga ka-close nya na MILF commander, at sinabi niya na hindi lang po bombs ang specialty, pati sniping,” he added.

Forty-four members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force were killed in clashes with the MILF and its breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters after the police commandos neutralized Marwan in an area believed to be controlled by the MILF.

The government and the MILF have an existing peace agreement and the rebels blame the "misencounter" on the policemen's failure to coordinate their mission in Mamasapano.

'Don't sleep, soldiers to attack'

In one of his emails to Rahmat, Marwan said that a certain "Ust Haj Abd Tndk" called him on a Saturday night in February 2007 and warned him not to sleep as soldiers were planning to attack.

 

“Last night (Saturday, the night before Sunday) hj abd tndk called around 12 o’clock to say not to sleep, the soldiers were planning to attack. At 12:30 he called again… The spy plane Orion started to hover around at 12:45.. at 1 o’clock the shooting began within 1km from Hulagu’s (one of Marwan's other aliases) location, bangla wakman," Marwan said in what was supposed to be one of his emails to Rahmat.

"The soldiers were using a bazooka too, 105mm cannon. They were dropped within 200m-500m from Hulagu’s location…” he said.

Marwan also told his brother about a raid by SAF commandos on his safehouse on July 10, 2006.

 

“Approximately 10 days after the death of A. Hashim. one squad of Special Action Force commandos, around 15 people, armed with M-4s, mini M60, 9mm pistols, 45 caliber pistols, night vision, and guided by government assets (spies) surrounded Lagu’s (another alias of Marwan) home with the objective of capturing him (maybe to capture him alive)," Marwan said.

The suspected international terrorist said his house was broken into and that door "got torn off."

"His wife and child were able to get out before the exchange of fire. Three of Lagu’s neighbors with Armalite rifles were able to assist until the attacking commandos withdrew. As a result, two commandos died including the team leader," Marwan said.

Marwan said two M4 rifles, one Tauris 9mm pistol, one .45 Norinco pistol, one night vision, one LED diode flashlight, two M60 belts were 200 rounds were seized from the policemen.

"It was reported on TV and in the news. Most likely there was some coordination among the police, spies, and insiders (his neighbors) because the commandos knew exactly where he lived, the route to his house, and the withdrawal routes,” Marwan said.

Good shots but didn't know how to zero in

On July 3, 2007, Marwan told his brother of the training he conducted.

 

“Last night I taught a course on sniping. Discontinued today because the troops heard and then came spy planes. The guys who were monitoring the radio could hear the troops to report to their commander. The commanders here attended too," Marwan said.

"They had good shots but did not know how to zero in he-he. Now they know. When in war they just shoot without aiming he-he. The fighting is within 15 meters, 25 meters, or 50 meters, at the most. actually they wait till they are at a close distance so the troops do not shoot with cannons or rockets from heli…” he added.

 

Marwan also told Rahmat that a certain commander A. Wahid was informing him of sources of firearms.

 

“Earlier the commander here told me that the gun dealer in the city has an M203 for sale. The price is 3K USD… this 203 is only available every once in a while,” he said in one email.

 

“Commander A Wahid says that there is a soldier who wants to sell a new .50 caliber, for US $5000. He said that he can only afford 2K, and asked to find the remaining 3K hehe…” he said in another.

 

Marwan on July 4, 2006, told his brother that if he died “and if there was some inheritance from the sale of dad’s land, please don’t forget about my two children here…Please don’t forget to transfer them into the same account that you’ve been using.”

 

On July 30, 2006, Marwan told his brother of the death of an MILF commander who hosted him a year earlier. That commander was later named as Abu Hashim, allegedly the commander of the MILF 105th Base Command around that time.

 

“He died on the spot…they were not soldiers, but rather his own people. Don’t know exactly the reason behind it, whether it was a grudge or politics. It looks like Hulagu (Marwan’s another alias) needs to relocate again because there is nobody strong enough to provide protection at the location. Need to use some money. because relocation requires money,” Marwan said in his email.

 

Marwan secure in MILF territory
 

The senator said the correspondence explained how barrets figured in the Mamasapano clash. Such high powered weapons can accurately shoot a target within a range of one to two kilometers.
 

“Maraming may barret sa Mamasapano dahil andun si Marwan, dahil hindi madali na pag-aralan itong baril na ito dahil napakalayo ng kayang tamaan, kahit one to two kilometers kaya pa ring accurately tamaan yung target," Cayetano said.

"This will prove that they have continuous training, they are upgrading their arms and they are also manufacturing arms and ammunitions,” he added.

 

Told that the documents he was presenting were already several years old, Cayetano said Marwan would not have stayed in Mamasapano if he did not feel safe in the area. 

 

“Ikaw ay international wanted terrorist, grabe ang network mo, may $5 million na nakapatong sa ulo mo, ikaw ba ay magtatago sa isang lugar na hindi mo feeling na safe ka? Five hundred meters away andun yung commander ng MILF. Nakapaligid sayo MILF at BIFF, hindi mag-isa si Marwan dito, may security siya na kasama niya," Cayetano said.

"So ikaw si Marwan 10 taon ka nagtatago at hinahanap, hot pursuit na sa ‘yo, nakailang operation sa lugar na yun, hindi ka aalis? Bakit? Kasi you feel na safe ka dun,” he added.

AFP has no info on Marwan's emails

Sought for comment, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it had no information on the email exchanges between Marwan and his brother.

"The AFP is not aware of these email exchanges. The good senator may have been provided info by some sources that may have had access to privileged information," AFP spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla told GMA News Online.

The government panel in the peace talks with the MILF said it needed to verify whether supposed ties between the suspected international terrorist and the MILF, as indicated by the email exchanges, remained when the Aquino administration negotiated with the Moro rebels in 2010.

"We need to know when the email exchanges were made so we can determine if it represents the same situation when we pursued peace negotiations under President Aquino from 2010," said Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer in a text message.

The MILF, for its part, adverted to Marwan's ties to Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter leader Umbra Kato, a former MILF commander. The BIFF is a breakaway group of the MILF.

 

Look for a new peace partner

 

Because of this, Cayetano said the government, including Senate, should put ‘common sense’ in dealing its investigation and dealing with the MILF. 

 

“Siguro hindi kalabisan na hingin sa ating peace panel, sa ating Pangulo, sa ating Senado na yung common sense isama naman natin sa imbestigasyon. Magtatago ba si Marwan dun ngayon kung wala na silang link sa kanya?” he said.
 

He added that the “intimate relationship” between the MILF and Marwan was becoming clearer. 

 

Because of this, Cayetano asked that the peace process be continued but not with the MILF.

 

“Humanap tayo ng kausap dun na magbibigay ng tunay na peace,” he said.

 

He said if the MILF was sincere with the peace negotiation it should admit and come clean with the relationshio with Marwan, and divulge the location of their factory of ammunition and firearms and allow not only an inspection but also the destruction of these as it violates the ceasefire agreement.

 

The senator also recommended the creation of a new panel that would negotiate the peace process with another Moro group.

 

“Bagong grupo na magne-negotiate ng peace na yung interest naman ng Pilipino, interest naman ng Philippine government, at hindi ang interest ng Bangsamoro lang ang ipaglalaban. Let us leave the talking for the Bangsamoro to their panel. Ang problema natin yung panel natin e sa kanila na rin kumukuha ng cue," Cayetano said.

"Kaya hindi nagwo-work ang negotiations dahil langit at lupa ang pinapangako ng peace panel natin pero bulag-bulagan pag lumalabas ang mga dokumento tulad nito at yung iba pang ebidensya ng link  ng MILF sa terorismo na sinabi nilang tinalikuran nila pero hindi pa nila tinatalikuran,” he added.

 

Cayetano also asked for more targeted hearings which would include the peace panel and MILF in one hearing, and then the military alone, the police alone in other hearings “para we can get to the bottom of this.” —with reports from Trisha Macas/NB/JST, GMA News