The ‘lost’ guns of Mamapasano

By Julius D. Mariveles

THE MILITARY and police forces in the Philippines may be notorious for being perennially ill-equipped, but the same cannot be said for the Special Action Force (SAF) units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that clashed with Moro fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25.

Unfortunately, having top-grade weapons were not enough to have the SAF emerge from battle with little or no fatalities. Many of the SAF’s expensive arms and military gear are also now believed to be in the hands of unfriendly forces.

Indeed, according to the list submitted by acting PNP-SAF chief, Supt. Noli Taliño, to the PNP director for logistics, the lost pieces of SAF equipment range from thousands of rounds of bullets to ceramic plates that were inserted inside tactical vests, to a variety of firearms, including machineguns.

These were “…believed to be carted away by members of the MILF during the recent encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao,” read the first part of the memorandum submitted by Taliño. The MILF or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, however, has said that aside from its fighters, there were other groups in battle with the SAF troopers that day.

With a bill proposing the creation of a Bangsamoro under deliberation in Congress, the MILF and the Philippine government were and are still supposed to be observing a ceasefire. The SAF, meanwhile, were trying to carry out a mission to eliminate known terrorists Akmad Batabol Usman (also known as Basit Usman) and Zulfikli Bin Hir, alias Marwan.

“Theb3327“. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikipedia.

Usman is Filipino and Marwan a Malaysian.

Marwan was killed in the operation while Usman, reportedly wounded, remains at large. What happened after Marwan was killed is among the points of inquiry still being explored by the board the PNP formed to look into the matter. Although it is now public knowledge that a firefight soon broke out between the SAF commandos and MILF fighters, crucial details about the operation remain unknown.

PNP-SAF troopers are trained for urban counter-terrorism and military operations in urban terrain or MOUT. The SAF’s missions as outlined in its official webpage include conducting operations as a rapid deployment force “anywhere in the country specifically in situations with national and international implications.”

Among its other missions are hostage rescue, commando-type unconventional warfare, search and rescue, and civil-disturbance management during national emergencies.

Formed during the latter years of the Marcos dictatorship, the SAF assumed anti-coup roles under President Corazon Aquino, whose term was rocked by coup attempts from the military. In the late 1980s, the SAF was also deployed to perform counter-insurgency roles.

In October 2003, the SAF teamed up with the Philippine military and arrested Taufik Refke, reportedly the second-highest ranking leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah in the Philippines.

The SAF was also credited for putting an end to a 2005 takeover of the Camp Bagong Diwa jail in Bicutan, Taguig City, by leaders of the Abu Sayyaf group detained there.

Among those killed were Nadzimie Sabtulah, alias Commander Global, Galib Andang, alias Commander Robot, and Alhamser Limbong, alias Commander Kosovo.

More recently, the SAF took part in operations against members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who attacked Zamboanga City in September 2013.

SAF commandos were in the thick of the urban battle that lasted three weeks and claimed the lives of more than 20 government troopers, some 200 rebels, and at least a dozen civilians.

Two SAF companies – the 55th and the 84th – were the key units tasked to deal with Usman and Marwan in Mamasapano last January. The 84th or the Seaborne Unit had been trained by the U.S. military and was the assault force that raided Marwan’s hut.

The 55th Unit, meanwhile, was supposed to be the blocking force. Media accounts say the clash between the SAF commandos and MILF members raged for hours – from dawn to early afternoon of January 25.

By the time the sounds of gunfire ceased, at least 69 people lay dead, including eight civilians. Some 17 MILF fighters were also killed, as well as 44 SAF commandos.Most of the SAF troopers killed belonged to the 55th Unit, which had only one of its 36 members left alive.

That the SAF commandos managed to last that long could probably be traced to their stellar training, as well as to their being well-equipped.

The latter is evident in the SAF’s “lost items” list, which is composed of 10 categories: rifles, crew-served weapons, grenade launchers, recoilless rifles, handguns, special equipment, communication equipment, ordnance, and magazines.

Of the 36 rifles that the PNP has listed as “lost”, 27 are Special Operations Assault Rifles (SOAR) produced by Ferfrans, a U.S.-based company. These rifles are chambered for the 5.56-caliber ammunition, similar to the ones being used for the M16 automatic rifle, and are designed for close-quarter combat. Of the eight other rifles, four are for sniping – two Savage Gen 2 and two Savage Gen 3 – while the four others are for assault. An assault rifle is a firearm designed to kill many people in the shortest time possible. With only one squeeze of a trigger, it can fire many bullets. Common examples of the assault rifle used by the military are the US M16 and the Russian AK-47.

Sniper rifles are more accurate guns that can destroy targets at longer ranges. Some modern sniper rifles can hit targets at a range of more than 1.6 kms.

Four crew-served weapons, commonly known as machineguns, were also declared lost. These were two M60 light machineguns and two Israeli-made Negev LMG.

Machine guns like the Negev and the M60 are called crew-served weapons because they require more than one soldier to operate. These can continue to fire at a rate of 500 to 1,000 rounds per minute as long as the trigger is squeezed. Firing faster than rifles, machine guns are best used to defend a position or to provide covering fire as troops advance on a target.

The PNP-SAF also lost 9mm-caliber handguns, eight of which are Glock 17 models, 10 Ferfrans grenade launchers, which fire the 40mm caliber cartridges as well as a 90mm recoilless rifle that is described as a type of lightweight artillery.

Missing as well are 20 hand grenades, 150 40mm ammunitions — the ones fired from an M203 — and eight 90RR ammo. (The M203 fires grenades more accurately and at longer distances compared to a grenade thrown by a soldier.)

In addition, at least 638 pistol and rifle magazines were lost, 523 of which are for M16 rifles, along with a lot of bullets – some 24,000 rounds of 5.56-caliber ball ammunition, nearly 4,000 rounds of linked 5.56, more than 5,000 rounds of 9-mm bullets, and at least 1,500 rounds of SS109 caliber 5.56 with steel penetrator tips were also lost.

The U.S. government is reportedly planning to ban the SS109, also known as “green tip” ammunition, because it can pierce a police officer’s protective vest when fired from a handgun. It is described in gun forums as designed for increased penetration in longer ranges.

The SAF troopers had mounted PEQ 2 illuminators on their rifles, aiming lights used along with night-vision googles for operating in darkness. Twelve of these were reported lost, along with sound suppressors or silencers. The list, however, did not indicate if these were for pistols or rifles.

Ten handheld radio sets are also on the “lost” list, six with the Harris brand and four Motorolas.

Many of the SAF troopers were wearing ceramic plates inserted in their tactical vests. The list shows that while 79 of the plates were lost, only four tactical vests were declared missing by the SAF.

According to a former military officer interviewed by PCIJ, SAF troopers could have dropped their plates during the fighting.

An online check of available ceramic plates showed that it could weigh between two kgs to seven kgs. All these amount to millions of pesos.

Each of the SOAR alone costs around P118,000 based on published reports of government estimates in announcing the purchase of rifles last year.

This means the lost SOARs are worth some P3.2 million in all. The Negev machineguns cost at least P450,000 each, while a Level 4 ceramic plate could cost from $145 to $999 (P6,500 to P45,000). Level 4 is the highest protection level currently available for plates.

The government has demanded that MILF return any weapons its members got from the SAF troopers. So far, MILF has returned at least 16 firearms to the government. – With additional research by Cong B. Corrales, PCIJ, March 2015