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Philippines: Foreign fighters 'could join renegade Muslims in south'
(AKI) - Foreign Muslim fighters could join 'renegade' separatist commanders and escalate the ongoing conflict in the southern Philippines after the collapse of peace talks between Manila and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) separatist rebels, a leading think-tank has warned.In its latest report, 'The Philippines: The Collapse of Peace in Mindanao,' the International Crisis Group said the possible involvement of foreign 'jihadists' could give the Philippines Army a green light for war against the MILF. Such a war remains unlikely, however, said the ICG. The army is currently pursuing three renegade MILF commanders -- Ameril Umbra Kato, Abdullah Macapaar alias Bravo, and Aleem Sulaiman Pangalian. The three are accused of having attacked villages in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte after an order by the Philippines' Supreme Court blocked a peace agreement with the MILF. The deal would have created an expanded ancestral Muslim 'domain' or autonomous homeland on the southern island of Mindanao. The Supreme Court injunction followed legal challenges raised by mainly Catholic politicians in Mindanao objected to what they feared was as a move to create an independent Muslim state, saying they had not been consulted on the content of the peace agreement. Clashes between the MILF and the Army have since become more frequent but both sides have said that they do not want to escalate the conflict for an all-out war. But the ICG warned that the rebels could recruit foreign jihadists to join the renegade commanders. "Jihadis in Mindanao could decide to undertake retaliatory action, since Kato and Bravo have assisted them in the past. A major urban bombing could turn trigger a much wider conflict," warned ICG. A small, mobile jihadist unit led by Indonesian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member Umar Patek is known to operate from the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines. Patek's unit is believed to consist of some 10 men hailing from JI and two other jihadist organisations (KOMPAK and Darul Islam). The peace agreement, which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last week, was the culmination of eleven years of negotiations. It was due to be signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 5 August. The Supreme Court's effective scuppering of the peace accord has sparked fighting that by mid-October had displaced some 390,000 people. Posted by: Fred 2008-10-24 |
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