Senate draft report: Americans involved in Oplan Exodus

U.S. AID US forces use their helicopter to airlift Philippine police commandos wounded in a clash on Jan. 25, 2015, with Moro rebels from the Shariff Aguak Provincial Police command to a hospital in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat. FERDINAND CABRERA/Contributor

MANILA, Philippines —  An American ordering a military official to fire the artillery during the Mamasapano operation was bared in a Senate draft report, which contains some information that were only disclosed in executive sessions.

A copy of the 129-page draft report released to the media Tuesday night by the office of Senator Grace Poe revealed that the “testimonies of various resource persons, particularly during the executive hearings, appear to contradict the statement of the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) that Oplan Exodus was 100% purely Filipino planned and implemented.”

BACKSTORY: DFA: Oplan Exodus ‘100% Filipino

Oplan Exodus refers to the January 25 Mamasapano operation where 44 members of the Philippine National Police -Special Action Force.

The draft report said the following facts were attested to:

First, sacked SAF head, Director Getulio Napeñas, brought three Americans into the Army Brigade Headquarters.

“A helicopter arrived and three more Americans came into the HQ and joined Napeñas at his work table,” it said.

Second, one of the Americans identified by Napeñas as Mr. Al Katz supposedly handled the training of the Seaborne.

Third, one of the Americans ordered Major General Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao, to fire the artillery.

“However, Pangilinan refused and told him ‘Do not dictate to me what to do. I am the commander here!’” the draft report quoted the military official as saying.

READ: Mamasapano clash: Napeñas plea sparked Pangilinan’s outburst

And fourth, the Americans provided surveillance in the area through their ISR. TV monitors were brought in by the Americans to the HQ.

The draft report said the ISR in the United States is shorthand for “…the system of collection assets and analysts which brings information about the enemy or potential enemy to the decision-maker, whether that decision-maker is a top general in Washington, DC or a soldier on the ground facing an armed attacker.”

Another information from the closed-door hearings of the Senate that was bared in the draft report was that the PNP-SAF was “unaware “that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had mortar capability.

“This was admitted by one of the surviving PNP-SAF troopers in executive session,” the draft report said.

“The firepower was allegedly massive. According to the SAF survivor, if they had known about the mortar, the complexion of their preparations would have been different,” it said.

“The PNP-SAF’s intelligence preparation of the battlefield was, therefore, grossly inadequate,” it further said.

Some members of the MILF were said to be among those who engaged the SAF troopers during the Mamasapano operation.

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