27 SAF men in Mamasapano raid transferred to other units

MANILA, Philippines - Twenty-seven of the police commandos who took part in the controversial Mamasapano raid have been transferred to other units for security reasons, the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (SAF) said yesterday.

SAF spokesman Senior Inspector Jayson Baldoz said the 27 policemen who took part in the raid have been traumatized while the others have been “profiled” by Muslim rebels.

About 400 SAF commandos had participated in the operation to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and his local cohort Basit Usman in a remote village in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

But after killing Zulkifli, the SAF commandos came under devastating ambushes from heavily armed Muslim rebel groups and villagers.

A total of 44 policemen were killed and 12 others were wounded in the attack.

Baldoz said that aside from the 12 wounded, 15 other policemen who took part in “Oplan Exodus” were considered as “survivors.”

Baldoz cited the case of PO2 Christopher Lalan who was accused by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of killing four of its members while sleeping in a mosque a day after the Mamasapano encounter.

Baldoz said Lalan has been transferred from SAF to another police unit.

Lalan was the lone survivor among the members of the 55th Special Action Company (SAC) that figured in a firefight with the MILF on the morning of Jan. 25. 

The 55th SAC was supposed to act as a blocking force for the 84th Seaborne, which successfully neutralized Marwan.

Baldoz said the SAF commandos involved in “Oplan Exodus” were given the privilege by the PNP leadership to choose transfer to another police unit.

Baldoz said the 27 SAF officers transferred to other units have served with the SAF for more than five years.

Baldoz added the Mamasapano incident triggered a recruitment surge for the SAF as it became popular.