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| Southeast Asia |
| Dulmatin, Patek hiding in Mindanao |
| 2005-10-19 |
| The two Indonesian members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) suspected of masterminding the October 2003 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, are hiding in Cotabato province, Armed Forces spokesman Col. Tristan Kison said Wednesday. Kison said Filipino Muslims are hiding Dulmatin and Omar Patek in different safehouses in the province. "You know how it is in Mindanao, Muslim brothers assist one another. They have strong ties," Kison told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo. He added that the Abu Sayyaf Group headed by Khadaffy Janjalani is also helping the JI members. "The mere fact that they (Abu Sayyaf) have opened their sanctuaries to them is a big factor," Kison said. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front earlier said Dulmatin, Patek and Janjalani had been together in Central Mindanao when the military launched an operation to try to catch them in July. "Our operations show Dulmatin and Patek are in Mindanao, but we do not know what place, because they fled from the latest operations," said MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu. The Bureau of Immigration has placed all ports in the country on heightened alert to prevent the entry of JI terrorists. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |