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| Southeast Asia |
| Al-Qaida Group Said Formed in Asia |
| 2002-11-20 |
| Muslim militants linked to al-Qaida have established a "league of holy warriors" to unite all Islamic extremists in Southeast Asia and launch strikes against governments in the region, according to confidential Philippine intelligence documents obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. It's just like the dot-com boom, every time you turn around, another terror group announces its IPO. The group was formed in 1999 in Malaysia and headed by the Jemaah Islamiyah, the organization suspected in the Bali bombings last month. But it was only recently uncovered through disclosures by suspected terrorists arrested in Singapore and Manila. "It's like an umbrella group, but no matter the extent of their network, we can monitor them. We know the personalities," said Superintendent Robert Delfin, who heads the Philippine national police intelligence. Delfin said Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are cooperating and exchanging information on Rabitatul Mujahideen, which means League of Holy Warriors, and discussing how to thwart its plans and arrest members. Aiming to transform the region into an Islamic stronghold by force, representatives from militant groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Egypt - including Jemaah Islamiyah - attended at least three covert meetings in Malaysia to establish the group in 1999-2000, according to the confidential documents. Militants from as far away as Bangladesh also are involved. Rabitatul Mujahedeen aims "to facilitate cooperation and share resources in terms of training, procurement of arms, financial assistance and terrorist operations," the documents said. OK, this does read like the mission statement of a dot-com. It said the group formed a policy-making central committee and finished a logo featuring two swords, a Quran and a flag with Arabic markings reading "There is no God but Allah." Next, Rabitatul.org, the website! Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah who is now under arrest in Indonesia, was allegedly chosen to head the group, according to the documents. Fellow Indonesian Riduan Isamuddin, considered a key link between Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiyah, was designated as secretary-general. Also known as Hambali, he has been linked to the planning of Sept. 11 and remains at large. The CEO and his secretary. Faiz Abu Bakar Bafana, a suspected Malaysian terrorist in custody in Singapore, allegedly provided officials with information on the umbrella group during an interrogation at the end of October. Soon to be in the witness protection program. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Uhh...yes: Mohammed and Lashkar, I'd like to short the IPO of the Jihad, Inc. Get me out of my Goat Futures as well. Allah hu akbar, 12 000 000 Afghanis a trade. What a low, low rate (fires AK-47 into ceiling)... |
| Posted by: Brian 2002-11-21 00:02:27 |