AFP 'influencing' CHR probe of air strike - MILF

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines - A Moro rebel leader has accused the military of manipulating the investigation of the Commission on Human Rights regarding the deaths of six civilians in an air strike in Maguindanao earlier this week. Interviewed over Catholic-run DXND radio, Adan Abdullah of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) 106th Base Command said Datu Piang residents are being forced into executing affidavits that said the civilians died from stray bullets and not from a bomb dropped by an OV-10 plane. He said the village chairman of Tee village in Datu Piang was among those convinced by Army officials to execute an affidavit stating that the victims were hit by stray bullets. “The war dogs of (Armed Forces of the Philippines) have been trying to convince the village chair to sign the affidavit," Adan said. The Army had allegedly influenced some residents in the area to execute the same. “Ang masakit pa, kung may namamatay na sibilyan dahil sa pag-atake ng MILF, gabi’t araw pinag-uusapan sa senado. Pero kung AFP ang nakapatay sa mga sibilyan ay tahimik sila (What saddened us is that when there were civilians who died from MILF attack, it’s been discussed in the Senate almost day and night. But if it’s the AFP that killed the civilians, the Senate is silent)," Adan said. The military, on the other hand, denied the allegation. “We don’t have to do that. We’re open to the investigation," said Army Col. Julieto Ando, chief of the civil military operations of the 6th Infantry Division. Ando said Adan’s allegations are “baseless and malicious." The military official added that the CHR has already started the investigations in Tee village in Datu Piang “without us influencing them." “Wala itong puwersahan. Hindi mo naman mapipilit ang mga tao diyan na magsalita, di ba? (No body is being forced. You can’t force the people in the area to speak, right?)," he said. The CHR proceeded to the area to check if indeed the Army violated human rights and war protocols when they launched an air and ground assault against the MILF last Monday. The Army in Central Mindanao has earlier denied they dropped bombs when they used the OV-10 planes in their air strikes against the MILF in Datu Piang. “We only used machine guns, not bombs," Ando said. - GMANews.TV