Sacked police chief tells why ops to nab Marwan kept secret

Members of the PNP-SAF prepare for the grim task of carrying the caskets of slain police commandos during arrival honors at Villamor Airbase. At least 44 PNP commandos died during an encounter with Moro rebels on Jan 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. LYN RILLON/Philippine Inquirer/ANN

MANILA: An operation to capture Zulkilfi Hir alias Marwan, dead or alive, was kept in utmost secrecy as he was considered the “Osama bin Laden of Southeast Asia”. 

This was the reason, the Philippines National Police (PNP) director Getulio Napeñas gave as to why he did not coordinate with the military before launching “Oplan Wolverine,” to get Marwan, the 49-year-old Muar born Malaysian for whom the United States has offered a US$6 million reward.