Aquino 'authorised bungled secret mission' where 44 police died

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Police Director Benjamin Magalong (centre), flanked by Director Catalino Rodriguez (left) and Chief Superintendent John Sosito, holds a compiled report of the January 25 incident, where 44 police commandoes were killed during a mission against Muslim extremists, at the Philippines National Police headquarters in Manila. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:10am, 14 Mar 2015Updated: 5:21pm, 27 Apr 2015

Philippine President Benigno Aquino approved a bungled secret mission against Islamist rebels that led to the deaths of 44 police commandos, an official report released yesterday said, piling more pressure on the beleaguered leader.

The Philippine National Police Board of Inquiry (BOI) report also found Aquino had authorised suspended police general Alan Purisima, a personal friend, to take part in the mission even as he was being investigated for corruption.

In January, police commandos sneaked into a rebel area in the south to capture Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, an al-Qaeda-linked bomb maker with a US$5 million US bounty on his head. The commandos were ambushed by rebels and 44 were killed.

The results of the police inquiry came out days after Aquino said he was given wrong information about the secret mission, blaming the head of the Special Action Force (SAF) Getulio Napeñas for the botched mission.

President Benigno Aquino walks past troops during the 29th Presidential Security Group (PSG) anniversary in Manila on March 10, 2015. Photo: Reuters

The police report said Aquino, Purisima and Napeñas had "kept the information to themselves and deliberately failed to inform" the chief of the Philippine National Police about the mission.

The police report was based on sworn statements from about 300 witnesses, police and military officials. Aquino, Purisima and the armed forces chief of staff were not interviewed for the report.