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23 JI left in the Philippines
AUTHORITIES are hunting 23 Jemaah Islamiyah members believed hiding in central Mindanao, after discounting their threat to the country. The Philippine National Police isn't worried about the JI operatives -- all Indonesians -- since they are "stranded" in the country and are practically incapable of launching terrorist attacks, according to PNP intelligence director Robert Delfin. "They receive no funding, so how can they move?" Delfin said in an interview with reporters. "Right now, they're more concerned with hiding from both the police and the military than attacking."The military had earlier pegged the number of JI members in Mindanao at 40. Police could not explain, however, how the number went down to 23. What is clear is the terrorists are holed up on Mt. Kararaw, at the boundary of the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao, which is considered a stronghold of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Delfin said the 23 operatives had lost contact with their leaders in Indonesia following the arrest of key JI leaders. Among these were Zulkifli, who was arrested in Malaysia several months ago, and Taufek Refke, the group's alleged finance officer, who was caught in Mindanao early last year. The arrests cut the flow of funds from Indonesia to the JI cell in Mindanao, Delfin said. The JI, the Southeast Asia-based affiliate of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network, maintains a "mantique" or cluster of operations that includes Malaysia and Indonesia, its country of origin. Mindanao is part of the cluster, being primarily a training ground for prospective bombers, intelligence officials said. In December 2003, at least 10 JI bombers reportedly graduated from training facilities in MILF territories. The MILF has denied the allegation. If the 23 Indonesian terrorists were planning an attack, Delfin said, they could only do so "in coordination with local terrorists." "They're dependent on their local contacts," he said, referring to the Abu Sayyaf terror group and renegade MILF members. Tracker teams from the PNP Intelligence Group and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are now conducting separate operations to arrest the 23 Indonesians, Delfin said. "They're scattered, that's why the military is bombing them," he added. On Friday, officials said five Islamic militants, including at least one JI member, were believed killed in a military air strike on their hideout in a Maguindanao marshland the previous day. Army spokesperson Col. Franklin del Prado said among those believed to have been in the area were Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and at least three Indonesian JI members, including Dulmatin, who allegedly played a key role in the Bali bombings. Dulmatin was believed killed in the raid. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-02-01 |
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