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Reuters

The Philippines’ anti-graft body filed criminal charges against former president Benigno Aquino on Wednesday for mishandling a botched anti-militant raid that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos in 2015.
The police officers’ deaths at the hands of an overwhelming number of rebel gunmen contributed to the stalling of peace efforts with Muslim separatists in the southern Philippines and was the biggest crisis of Aquino’s 2010-2016 presidency.

The Office of the Ombudsman said it had charged Aquino with usurpation of authority, as well as graft and corruption, following preliminary investigations.
The agency said the former leader allowed a suspended police chief to be involved in the planning and execution of the January 2015 incident in Mamasapano in Maguindano province and kept the interior minister and police officer in charge out of the loop.
Aquino’s representative did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Police Special Action Force commandos killed two al-Qaeda-linked militants but were ambushed and outnumbered by militants during the raid.

The incident caused national outrage and Aquino’s approval and trust ratings fell to record lows.
A bill put to Congress by the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front to grant self-rule over the predominantly Muslim region of Mindanao island stalled, which many in the process blamed on the impact of the Mamasapano incident.
The bill has since been reworked and is expected to be put to Congress again soon, with President Rodrigo Duterte determined to see it passed as a means to develop the country’s most impoverished region and arrest the spread of radical sentiment and the influence of Islamic State.


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The Philippines

Philippine ombudsman files criminal case against ex-president Aquino over bungled militant raid

Philippine police commandos load body bags containing their comrades killed in a clash with Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindano in January, 2015. Photo: AFP

FILE PHOTO Philippine President Benigno Aquino arrives at a session of the 27th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 21, 2015. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/File Photo

TO GO WITH: Philippines-US-unrest-military-diplomacy (FILES) US military personnel (L) help their Philippine counterparts prepare to load an injured police commando from one stretcher to another and onto a waiting US military helicopter in the town of Mamasapano, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on January 26, 2015, following clashes with Muslim rebels. A disastrous raid on alleged Islamic militants has ignited the worst political crisis yet for Philippine President Benigno Aquino -- and questions about the extent of any US role in the operation are deepening his discomfort. AFP PHOTO / Mark Navales

Philippine government and MILF rebels sign peace pact

As the pact is signed in Manila, Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Muslim Mindanao raise their firearms in celebration. Photo: Reuters

The signing of the pact is met with applause. Photo: AP

MILF rebels to form political party for self-rule in Philippines’ Muslim south

MILF negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, left, at a ceremony with Philippine President Benigno Aquino. Photo: AP

Rebels from the MILF are now set for self-rule. Photo: AFP

Asia in 3 minutes: From MILF  jailbreak in Philippines to Apple’s block on New York Times in China

Inmates gather inside the Kidapawan prison following the escape of more than 150 inmates. Photo: Reuters

(130207) -- PHNOM PENH, Feb. 7, 2013 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni escorts the ashes of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk during a procession in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Feb. 7, 2013. A week-long royal funeral of Cambodia's late King Norodom Sihanouk came to an end on Thursday when part of his cremains were taken from the cremation site to keep in the royal palace in a procession. (Xinhua/Zhao Yishen) (zy)

(FILES) This file photo taken on September 25, 2015 shows a customer using her new smartphone during the release of the iPhone 6s at an Apple store in Shanghai. Several Chinese iPhone users have claimed that their handsets caught fire or exploded, according to a Shanghai consumer watchdog which called on tech giant Apple to address the complaints. / AFP PHOTO / Johannes EISELE

FILE PHOTO: Australian Army soldier Warrant Officer Class Two Stephen Wurst (R) briefs Indonesian Army personnel during 2014 Wira Jaya Exercise at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, September 18, 2014. Australian Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

FILE PHOTO: Australian Army soldiers Major General Stuart Smith (L) and Sergeant Francis Jakis (C) run with Indonesian Army soldiers during the Junior Officer Combat Instructor Training course conducted by the Australian Army's Combat Training Centre in Tully, Australia, October 10, 2014. Australian Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE.

epa05692900 Hundreds of people gather to attend the eve of new year celebration in Bangalore, India, 31 December 2016. Over hundreds of people gathered on brigade road following the new year celebrations to welcome 2017 EPA/JAGADEESH NV

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