By CAROLYN O. ARGUILLAS
DAVAO City–The Special Action Force (SAF) of the National Police did not coordinate with the Armed Forces and the peace process mechanisms when they launched “Oplan Exodus” on Jan. 25, 2015, but it did with the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), former SAF director Getulio Napenas told the Senate Committee probing the Mamasapano Tragedy on Wednesday.
Napenas said the US assisted with intelligence support on real time, training, equipment, humanitarian and medical evacuation “and also investigation.”
When Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile asked Napenas what he meant by investigation, Napenas replied it had something to do with the severed finger of Malaysian Zulkfli bin Hir aka Marwan, the main target of the operation which was handed over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for confirmation if the DNA matched with Marwan’s detained brother in the US.
Asked who conducted the training for the operations, Napenas said members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) and some “civilian components,” prompting Enrile to ask if they were from the CIA.
Napenas said “to my knowledge, they should be working in that outfit,” later adding that “the word CIA (was) never mentioned in our dealings.”
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