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| Southeast Asia |
| TERRORISM: U.S. ASKS PHILIPPINES MUSLIM REBELS FOR HELP |
| 2007-02-17 |
| (AKI) - Washington has asked the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group for help in the hunt for militants from the al-Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah [JI] who are active in southern Philippines. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chair for political affairs, Ghadzali Jaafar, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that US deputy head of mission in the Philippines, Paul Jones, personally requested help in catching JI bomb experts Omar Patek and Dulmatin, dead or alive. United States officials made the request as they secretly met Moro Islamic Liberation [MILF] leaders in a rebel camp somewhere in Shariff Kabunsuan, on the restive island of Mindanao, on Thursday. "They want us to help by providing vital information that will lead to the arrest of the two terrorists. I said we could help them because we are also against the two. We are always affected by their activities," Jaafar said. The Patek and Dulmatin are allegedly responsible for several bombings in the region, including the deadly 2002 Bali bombings. According to Jaafar, Jones was accompanied by Jon. D. Lindborg, the United States agency for international development's mission director, Col. David S. Maxwell, joint special operations task force commander, Col. Bruce A. West, defense and air attache', and Paul Kennedy, regional security officer. "They asked also about the whereabouts of Abdul Basit Usman. We told them that he never became a member of our organisation ever since," Jaafar added. Usman, a suspected terrorist responsible for a series of bomb attacks in the southern Philippines in recent months, has a 50,000 dollar bounty on his head for his arrest. The MILF renounced any link with terrorist organisations in 2003 when its late leader, Salamat Hashim, asked Washington to get involved in the still ongoing peace talks with Manila. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Frank you have a good point. In WWII would we have contacted the Nazis to arrest Italians? WTF. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-02-17 08:53 |
| #1 "They asked also about the whereabouts of Abdul Basit Usman. We told them that he never became a member of our organisation ever since," Jaafar added. ummmm ....does that make sense? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-02-17 08:41 |