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Jemaah Islamiah Has 300-Man Attack Force-Jakarta
The Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiah militant Muslim group has at least 300 fighters trained in the Philippines and Afghanistan, a senior Indonesian policeman said Thursday. "According to our count it would be 300, but it could be more than that," Erwin Mappaseng, head of the police criminal investigation department, told a news conference when asked about the Jemaah Islamiahâs strength.300 seems low. The 300 had been trained in Afghanistan and the southern Philippines, Mappaseng said. Muslim guerrillas have been battling government forces in the south of the mostly Christian Philippines for decades. "Theyâre competent in war tactics including the use of bombs and explosives," he said. Putting bombs on buses doesnât make you competent in war tactics, it makes you a terrorist. Mappaseng did not say where the 300 Jemaah Islamiah were believed to be from, nor where they were thought to be based now. No way they are all in one location, we couldnât get that lucky. "This force has a core special squad. When they conduct a bombing, they may receive orders from Hambali. We donât know how big this core is but indeed itâs less than the 300-strong force." The real hard core well-trained personnel most likely number a few dozen. Indonesia wants to question Hambali who authorities have accused of involvement in a series of bombings in recent years, including the blasts that killed 202 people in the tourist island of Bali in October. You can talk to him after we suck his brains dry.
Posted by: Steve 2003-08-21 |
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