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Philippines' Duterte claims CIA behind southern Philippine clash that killed 60

Xinhua, January 24, 2017 Adjust font size:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte claimed on Tuesday that the United States Central Intelligence Agency was behind the 2015 clash that resulted in the killing of 60, including 44 elite police commandos.

In a speech before the families and widows of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force who were killed in the clash, Duterte slammed former President Benigno Aquino for covering up details of the operation which he claimed was "an operation of the CIA."

"Let it be brought out in the open. It was an American adventure with the cooperation of some with your blessing. You fed the young men to the lion's den," he said, referring to the 44 elite policemen who were killed in the operation.

"Why was it under wraps and why did you hide that actually it was an operation of the CIA," Duterte said.

Aquino gave his former police chief Alan Purisima, who was then under suspension, to launch the operation on Jan. 25, 2015 to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli bin Her alias Marwan who was reportedly hiding in a remote Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province.

Marwan, the suspected Malaysian bomb maker with 5 million U.S. dollars bounty on his head, was eventually killed in the operation. Police cut off a finger of the suspected terrorist and sent the severed finger to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation for DNA identification.

Duterte also ordered the creation of a commission to investigate the so-called Mamasapano massacre to probe deeper into the carnage, including the involvement of the U.S. in the operation.

The Philippine senate launched an investigation into the operation and revealed the alleged involvement of U.S. soldiers in the vicinity of the village. In fact, there were reports that a U.S. helicopter waiting nearby.

In the same speech, Duterte said that he has no plans to visit the U.S. "There will never be time that I will visit America. I swear. I swear," he said.

At one point, Duterte slammed the U.S. for the first time after President Donald Trump assumed office. He said Trump supports his administration while former U.S. President Barack Obama did not.

He said he did not attend the inauguration because he was not invited anyway. "I do not need them. It's about time that we disabuse the colonial mind," he said. Endit