The inside story: How assault was carried out

When the smoke clears, counter-terrorists still win.

Police employed a classic approach to ending the 30-hour standoff at the Metro Manila District Jail of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Bicutan, Taguig City yesterday.

While officials exerted all efforts to end the crisis peacefully, members of the elite Special Action Force-Crisis Response Group (SAF-CRG) were busy gathering information to prepare for a worst-case scenario and gear up for an assault on the jail.

The countdown began when the negotiations bogged down on Monday night.

"We sensed that they were not serious in surrendering so we broke off communications with them by Monday night," a SAF officer said.

The same SAF official disclosed that plans had been drafted on how to assault the prison, outflank the superior firing positions of the gunmen and surprise them.

Apparently to weaken the resolve of the enemy, SAF commander ordered all lights inside the jail compound turned off and the V-150 armored personnel carrier driven around the area. This was done every hour on the hour until daybreak yesterday.

"We wanted them to stay awake and keep them guessing whether we would attack or not," said the SAF official.

The assault was well-planned and executed in a manner that resulted in a low casualty figure, police said.

It was gathered that the assault team expected a minimum casualty count of 50 among the Abu Sayyaf detainees who had been expected to fight till the bitter end.

The order to assault was given at 9:05 a.m., and when the smoke cleared two hours later, 17 Abu Sayyaf bandits lay dead, among them Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot; Najmi Sabdula, alias Commander Global; Alhamser Limbong, alias Commander Kosovo; and their spokesman, Sadit Abdul Ganit Husim, alias Ka Lando.

But the police assault was not without its expected casualties: a policeman was killed during the storming of the prison, bringing to four the number of deaths on the government side after three jail guards were killed on Monday.

The SAF commander who led the assault team said he gave strict orders for his men to sleep tight for "the tedious job ahead."

‘Living On Borrowed Time’

Upon waking at 5 a.m., the SAF commander said his prayers for the success of the operation.

After taking their meals at 6 a.m., CRG members formed four teams along with two from the Regional Special Action Unit who were all selected to lead the attack on the prison. It turned out that the RSAU members were also former SAF operatives.

The orders were for SAF operatives to storm the ground floor of the building where the Abu Sayyaf leaders were holed up while the RSAU would enter from the top.

The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO), the guards from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), along with women SAF operatives would serve as perimeter security.

The entering parties had memorized the floor plan of the building to the last detail as well as the faces of their targets.

An informer provided the police with the cell numbers of the Abu Sayyaf leaders and the kind of weapons they were using.

Taking defensive positions, the Abu Sayyaf gunmen retreated to the ground floor of the four-story Security Intensive Care Unit (SICA) building and mixed with fellow inmates.

They were armed with handguns and M-16 rifles they had grabbed from the murdered jail guards.

Initially the SAF operatives deferred their assault on the building to allow for peaceful negotiations. The bandits, however, were not aware that they were living on borrowed time.

Using a smuggled cellphone, Ka Lando started calling radio stations and aired their demands, among them that actor Robin Padilla mediate the crisis.

The bandits also demanded that Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Farouk Hussin and Anak Mindanao Rep. Mujiv Hataman step in to negotiate.

Hussin and Hataman were in Manila and immediately rushed to the area and joined the government negotiating panel. Padilla, however, was abroad.

A few hours later, the bandits aired another list of demands including access to media, assurance of their safety, a speedy trial, observation of their human rights and unlimited visiting rights.

The negotiating panel agreed to all their demands. Negotiators led by Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes, newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Arturo Lomibao, NCRPO chief Director Avelino Razon, Hataman and Hussin signed a document agreeing to the demands and attesting to its authenticity in exchange for their surrender.

A SAF official said they even allowed Ka Lando to come out and personally view the document and the officials inside the jail compound. "When he saw the negotiating panel inside the compound, Ka Lando was convinced we were sincere in working out their safe surrender," the SAF official said.

But Reyes and other members of negotiating team noted the bandits were stalling when Ka Lando emerged minutes later and brought out another list of demands.

This was the last straw, officials said.

Smoking Them Out

The Metro Manila District Jail housed 468 criminals from all over Metro Manila, including 129 suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

Noting that time was running out, Reyes tasked the SAF commander as the ground commander for the assault.

At 8 a.m., at least eight inmates who were not involved in the rioting, rushed out from the 4th floor of the building. They were whisked to a safer place.

The SAF commander then issued a 15-minute warning for other prisoners to come out but nobody came forward.

At exactly 9.05 a.m. Reyes gave the green light for the assault.

The SAF raiders positioned themselves at both sides of the main gate of the Abu Sayyaf cell at the ground floor and tried to pry open the lock. But they were met by sniper fire each time they tried to insert the key into the lock.

"Ang ginawa namin, binatuhan namin sila ng maraming smoke grenades para lalong dumilim sa loob. Doon lang nabuksan ang mga gate," said a member of the entering party, emphasizing the use of smoke bombs to force their way in.

The SAF operatives were inching their way to the Abu Sayyaf cells when suddenly Kosovo came out of his hiding place with his guns blazing.

"Allah, Oh, Akbar!" Kosovo and his men kept shouting.

Kosovo wounded one of the SAF raiders in the face. "Siya (Kosovo) lang talaga ang lumaban. Matapang talaga," the SAF operative said, conceding the bandit was really brave.

The raiders returned fire. When Kosovo fell dead, the SAF raiders were initially confused thinking that they had shot a colleague since the slain bandit was wearing a black shirt and pants.

"Ang akala ko mistaken encounter na naman. It took us five minutes to realize that we already killed Kosovo," a SAF operative said.

A SAF official, on the other hand, revealed Kosovo had appeared suicidal as in one instance, at least five of them rushed out of their hiding places and tried to disarm the members of the assault team.

"Luckily, my men were working in tandem so his companion managed to open fire before they could successfully disarm a SAF raider," he said.

One of the wounded SAF operatives was beside his commanding officer when he was hit in the left hand as the bandits sprang out.

In an effort to confuse the attackers, the bandits tried to burn one room of the ground floor. They also tried to create a bonfire in the hallway in an effort to smoke out the SAF operatives and dampen the gas masks of the assault team.

"Nagsunog sila ng isang selda at doon sa gitna ng hallway sa ground floor. At ikulong pa nila ang mga preso hindi kasali sa gulo sa kani-kanilang mga selda," one of the members of the assault team said.

On the other hand, it was relatively easy for the RSAU raiders who met token opposition on the three other floors of the building.

The RSAU operatives killed Commander Global on the third floor and five other suspected terrorists on the second floor.

It was 11 a.m. when the SAF commander announced the success of the first phase of the operation.

The raiders started rushing out of the BJMP building as K-9 and explosive experts were ordered in for clearing operations.

At least 22 bodies of suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits were dragged out from the building.

The body of one of the SAF operatives, PO1 Arnel Arriola, was discovered during the clearing operations.

The SAF commander, for his part, said it was sad for them to lose a member of the team.

"We did not want this thing to happen but we have to do the job," he told The STAR.

"We do not want to hurt anyone, kill anyone, but we have to protect ourselves," he said.

Even after sustaining a casualty and two wounded policemen, he said the SAF would nevertheless hold a thanksgiving Mass this morning for a job well done. — With Jaime Laude