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MILF to start hunting for JI again. Oh goody.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front renewed efforts to help authorities capture the leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Jemaah Islamiah network in Mindanao, coinciding with the start of antiterror training between US and Filipino troops.The MILF said it is helping the government track down Khadafy Janjalani, whose group is blamed for the spate of kidnappings and bombings in Mindanao, and in Manila the past years. Our forces are working in coordination with the Philippine authorities under a two-year old agreement between the MILF and the government, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told The Manila Times on Tuesday. The MILF, the countrys largest Muslim separatist rebel group, is negotiating peace with Manila. It signed an agreement in 2004 that enabled it to help the government hunt down terrorists and criminals. Kabalu said latest intelligence reports suggested that Janjalani could be hiding in western Mindanao or the Sulu archipelago, which covers the islands of Jolo and Tawi-Tawi. The spokesman added that they have stepped up their hunt for the terrorists in Basilan, Zamboanga, Jolo, Tawi-tawi and in other parts of Mindanao. But MILF rebels are under strict orders to stay away from the areas where US and Philippine soldiers are conducting their training to avoid clashes. US and Filipino troops are participating in joint trainings in Carmen, North Cotabato. A bigger exercise is taking place in southern Jolo, where the rebels actively operate. Kabalu quoting previous intelligence reports, said Janjalani was last seen with the group of Jemaah Islamiya bomb-makers Umar Patek and Dulmatin, tagged as the brains of the 2002 Bali bombings. The Jemaah Islamiah has been blamed for a string of attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia, including a blast at Jakartas J.W. Marriott hotel that killed a dozen people dead and the Australian embassy bombing also in Jakarta that killed 10 people. Manila said the two groups remain the biggest threats in the country and in Southeast Asia. The MILF said the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya have fragmented into smaller groups and are hiding from one place to another in Mindanao. Government troops mounted last year a massive operation against Janjalani, Patek and Dulmatin in Maguindanao province but failed to capture the trio, although eight of their followers were killed. Kabalu said the huge bounty offered by Washington and Manila has forced many Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, Patek and Dulmatin to hide for their life. The US has offered as much as $10 million bounty for the arrest of Dulmatin and $5 million for Janjalanis capture. It also offered $1 reward for Pateks capture. Rohan Gunaratna, head of Singapores terrorism research institute for defense and strategic studies, said the Jemaah Islamiya is allegedly receiving funds from the al-Qaeda and unidentified financiers in the Middle East. Our operation against the Abu Sayyaf is going on, but we cannot determine yet whether Janjalani has returned to hiding in Jolo, but we have intelligence operatives out there, Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo, Jolo military chief, said in a separate interview Tuesday. Philippine authorities said at least 60 Jemaah Islamiah members are believed to be hiding in Mindanao and are training local recruits. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-01-25 |
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