Trained In MILF Camp, Would-be JI Bomber Confesses

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 08, 2007) – Philippine authorities have repeatedly linked the country's largest Muslim rebel group to the radical Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiya and the Saudi Arabia's al-Qaeda terror network.

The MILF has strongly denied all allegations against them and its chieftain, the secluded but moderate Murad Ebrahim repeatedly denounced violence and terrorism. However, the MILF said there could be rogue members providing clandestine military trainings to JI militants without its knowing.

And a former JI militant arrested in Singapore has told authorities there that he received weapons training from the MILF in the southern Philippines, according to a report by the Malay language newspaper, Berita Harian, published on Saturday.

The identity of the arrested militant was not made public nor details of his arrest, but Singapore's Today online news also reported that what started as a noble effort to deepen his understanding of Islam took a wrong turn when he was sidetracked by deviant teachings of radical ideologues and joined in weapons training allegedly organized by the MILF.

Now, the former member of the Singapore branch of the JI said he was lucky to have been arrested and detained in Singapore.

"I could have become a suicide bomber. I would like to share this lesson I learnt with others: Do not be easily influenced; flow with life's mainstream," the arrested militant said.

The report said he was detained under the Internal Security Act for four years and is now under Restriction Orders. He expressed his gratitude for the religious counseling he had received from the Religious Reformation Group, as well as for the unwavering support of his wife and children during this period.

His involvement in the JI began after he attended classes in the 1980s to better understand Islam. In one class, he met two others who offered to take him to another class, which turned out to be organized by the deviant organization.

The lessons began innocuously enough, revealing little of JI's characteristics, although the former member felt a tad suspicious when students were told not to leave their footwear outside the classroom as is normally practiced.

"They never mentioned it was a JI class," the former JI member said. "They only said that the class was to improve religious knowledge."

The indoctrination was gradual and destructive, with the teachers agitating students over the problems faced by their Muslim compatriots in places such as Palestine, Afghanistan and in neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines.

"They mentioned what was happening in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia, and what their government was doing to oppress the Muslims. Some Indonesian Muslims had to flee to Malaysia. They asked us to help them."

"They also mentioned that those people wanted to raise funds to buy a piece of land to build homes and a religious school on. They invited me to go over and follow their classes," the militant said in the interview, adding, that while the classes were free, he was asked to contribute money to various programs, including the building of schools."

"They didn't mention JI until they built the religious school in Ulu Tiram in Johor. But the JI were not as obvious then as they are now… I carried on with my involvement and took my children to study there (Ulu Tiram) and lived with them for several years."

"After some time … they also started to talk about what was happening in the Philippines and the MILF. Through JI, I started communicating with the MILF.I got to know the leader and members of the MILF through JI. From then on, my focus changed from JI to the MILF … In the Philippines, the MILF aims to achieve independence. They want to form their own Islamic country," he said.

"So, the priority had to be given to them. Eventually, I began to realise that MILF also had a close relationship with JI and Al Qaeda. They also ran training camps for JI members. They were also involved in the violent cluster," the militant said.
Feeling remorseful over his past, he said the JI aims to create chaos in Singapore and tarnish the good name of the Muslim community there.

"Our actions were unfair. Because of our actions as a minority, the majority of the Muslim community here has to go through a hard time. I feel very guilty," he said. "I regret and apologize for getting involved with JI," he said. "I regret that I was being misled. What I did was wrong."

An MILF spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said his group is willing to work closely with Singapore or Indonesian authorities in investigating the reported JI trainings in the southern Philippines.

"While we deny involvements in terrorism, the MILF is willing to work with Singapore and even Indonesia to investigate the alleged JI training in southern Philippines. The MILF is willing and ready to work with authorities about this matter," Kabalu told regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner on Monday.

Kabalu admitted that there could be some MILF members who were providing military or weapons training to JI militants without the knowledge of the rebel group. Australia also linked the MILF with JI.

"There is a possibility that some rogue MILF members could be providing trainings to JI and like Singapore, we are also concerned about this activity and that's why we are willing to work with Singapore authorities, or the Philippine authorities or anybody to investigate this matter. We wanted to know who these people are and punish them," he said.

Kabalu said the MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, has tens of thousands of members in the Philippines. The rebel group is fighting for a separate Muslim homeland in the troubled, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Rebels To Hunt Down Jemaah Islamiya Terrorists In Mindanao!

A young MILF fighter aims his M4 automatic rifle during a routine combat training in southern Philippines. The MILF says it will help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, hiding in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said it would help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the restive southern region of Mindanao.

A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the MILF and the Philippine military are closely working for the arrest of Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and other JI militants, especially Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Jakarta tagged both Dulmatin and Umar Patek at behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly Western holidaymakers.

In March, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir, who was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli bin Hir, who allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization, has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice Program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

The U.S. State Department said Zulkifli bin Hir has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juley Reyes)

U.S. Offers Bounty For Capture Of Filipino Terrorist Linked To Mindanao Bombings

Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters, armed with machine gun and B40 anti-tank rockets, guard a village in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 30 Jan) – The United States on Tuesday offered up to $50,000 bounty for the capture of a Filipino terrorist implicated in the spate of bombings in the southern Philippines.

The bounty on the head of Abdul Basit Usman is part of the U.S. Government Rewards Program. Usman was linked to deadly bomb attacks in Mindanao in recent months.

Usman has been linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah and believed responsible for bombings in Mindanao in October 2006 that killed eight civilians and left 30 others wounded.

He was also implicated in a series of bomb attacks in January in the Mindanao cities of General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato that killed seven people and wounded 37 more.

Philippine authorities previously linked Usman to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group currently negotiating peace with Manila.

But the MILF has repeatedly denied the allegation and ordered rebel forces to hunt down Usman and bring him to justice.

A rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said rebels were ordered to track down Usman and capture him dead or alive.

“Abdul Basit Usman is not a member of the MILF. Rebel forces were ordered to help Philippine authorities to hunt down and capture Abdul Basit Usman,” Kabalu said.

Kabalu said the bounty offered by Washington only proves that Usman is a dangerous man.

“This really proves that Usman is a very dangerous man. The bounty offered by the United States will add more credibility in its anti-terrorism campaign in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” he said.

He said the MILF would continue to help Philippine authorities track down terrorists even without financial reward. “Money is not all important to us, but to bring peace and stability to Mindanao,” he said.

Police charged 10 MILF members, including Usman and a rebel leader Wahid Tundok for the January 5 and January 10 bombings in Cotabato City that killed one Muslim man.

“Usman and Tundok are both included in the charge sheet, along with eight other suspected bombers,” Cotabato City police spokesman Insp. Waves Kasuyo said.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said the identity of any individuals providing information about Usman will remain strictly confidential.

“It is time to bring this despicable terrorist to justice. Anyone with information on Abdul Basit Usman, or any other terrorist, is encouraged to contact the Anti- Terrorist Task Force by calling 117, (02) 528-9832, (02) 928-5778, or contact the U.S. Embassy in Manila at (02) 526-9832/9833/9834 or send a text message to 0918-948-6412,” it said.

The MILF also denied that Tundok was involved in the bombings in the southern Philippines. “Our doors are open for any investigation. We have no links with any terrorist groups and are sincere with the peace talks,” Kabalu said.

The MILF is fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Indon Man Among 6 Abus Killed In Tawi-Tawi Clash

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Jan) – The Philippine military on Sunday tagged an Indonesian militant as among six gunmen killed in a clash at sea off the southern island of Tawi-Tawi.

Philippine security forces killed at least 6 members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in fierce sea battle on Saturday. And among those slain was Indonesian militant Gufran, a member of the Jemaah Islamiya.

The military did not say how it was able to get the identity of the foreigner, but a press statement on Sunday said Gufran was believed to be a lieutenant of Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin.

Dulmatin is one of several Indonesian terrorists, including Umar Patek, hiding in Jolo island with the Abu Sayyaf. Dulmatin and Patek are wanted for the October 2002 bombings in the resort Indonesian island of Bali in which 202 mostly foreign tourists were killed.

The Philippines military in October said troops captured Dulmatin’s wife, Istiada Bt. H. Oemar Sovie, alias Amenah Toha, and her two children in Jolo island and had been deported to Indonesia late last year.

The Saturday fighting erupted after soldiers attacked an Abu Sayyaf speedboat after it tried to escape from a sea blockade near Panglima Sugala town at around 4.45 a.m.

The boat’s passengers traded automatic gunfire with soldiers until they were all killed. The clash broke out just two days before President Gloria Arroyo is to hold a military conference in Jolo island near Tawi-Tawi. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Military Says U.S. Involved In Intell Ops In Troubled South

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 03 Jan) - The Philippine military on Wednesday admitted that U.S. intelligence experts were involved in tracking down members of the Southeast Asian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, believed hiding with Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern island of Jolo.

"It's principally on the field of technical intelligence," the Philippine News Agency quoted a Filipino military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro as telling reporters at the Camp Aguinaldo headquarters here.

"As to the details of the technical intelligence, I don't know, I'm not privy. They are providing us limited technical intelligence," Bacarro said.

The U.S. military in the past not only provided valuable intelligence to the Armed Forces of the Philippines about the Abu Sayyaf, but also took part in a covert operation with local soldiers to rescue a kidnapped American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham held by the Abu Sayyaf in Zamboanga del Norte province in 2002.

The U.S. previously used unmanned drones and Orion spy planes and electronic warfare in locating hideouts of terrorists in the southern Philippines.

Philippine authorities said as many as 30 Jemaah Islamiya terrorists are operating in the troubled region of Mindanao and Jolo island, about 950 kms south of Manila.

At least 5 of them, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both wanted by Jakarta for the 2002 Bali bombings, are said to be in Jolo under the protection of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

Just last month, Filipino military commanders in Jolo island said soldiers dug up what they believed were the remains of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, who was killed in a clash with troops in September. But DNA tests are still needed to confirm whether the remains belong to the elusive leader, blamed for the spate of terrorism in the southern Philippines.

The Philippine military also linked the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, to the Jemaah Islamiya, an accusation strongly denied by the country's largest Muslim rebel group.

Washington tagged both the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya as foreign terrorist organizations and offered millions of dollars in rewards for the capture of Dulmatin and Janjalani. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops Ordered To Get Sayyaf, JI leaders Before Christmas

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Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon, top, orders Friday 24 Nov 2006 troops to intensify the hunt for Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya leaders in Jolo island. (Mindanao Examiner)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 24 Nov) – Philippine military chief General Hermogenes Esperon on Friday inspected troops in the strife-torn Jolo island and ordered security forces to capture the leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and two Jemaah Islamiya bombers before Christmas.

The order came barely a day after policemen killed an alleged Abu Sayyaf gunman in a fire fight and captured two others in the village of Ayala in Zamboanga City late Thursday.

The fighting broke out after the militants attacked cops who were sent to arrest them. One militant was able to elude arrest, said Supt. Angelito Casimiro, chief of the regional police intelligence division.

"The militants were believed behind the spate of killings of policemen in Zamboanga and Jolo island the past months," he told the Mindanao Examiner in Zamboanga City.

In Jolo, Esperon also held a two-hour closed door meeting with senior military commanders in Jolo inside the tightly guarded headquarters of the Army's 104th Infantry Brigade.

Esperon did not give all details about the meeting, but said he discussed with other commanders the repositioning of troops involved in the Abu Sayyaf hunt on the island.

"We will reposition our forces to be more effective in the campaign against the terrorists. Told the troops to get the leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya before Christmas and intensify the operation against the terrorists," Esperon said in an interview.

He was referring to the Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both wanted by Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the 2003 JW Mariot hotel bombing in Jakarta.

The military also tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind last month's bombing of a police headquarters in Jolo island that wounded three people and the bombing in March of a Church-run cooperative store that left nine people dead and 20 injured in downtown Jolo.

The Philippine military is holding Dulmatin's wife, Indonesian Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two children. The woman and her two boys ages 6 and 8 were arrested after Filipino soldiers pursuing Dulmatin raided a terrorist hideout in Patikul town last month.

Esperon said the Abu Sayyaf is protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island. As many as 31 Jemaah Islamiya militants are believed hiding in the southern Philippines, particularly in Mindanao where other rebel groups are operating. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf Tagged As Behind Jolo Bombing

Scenes on Jolo island on Monday 17 Oct 2006, a day after suspected Abu Sayyaf militants detonated a powerful homemade bomb inside the provincial police headquarters and wounding three people. (Mindanao Examiner/Juan Magtanggol)

JOLO ISLAND (Juan Magtanggol / 17 Oct) – The Philippine military on Monday tagged the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group as behind the weekend bombing in Jolo island that wounded three people.

“The urban terrorist group of the Abu Sayyaf operating in Jolo could be behind the latest bombing,” said Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, a military spokesman.

He said a motorcycle taxi laden with explosives was detonated near a small hotel called Peace Keeper’s Inn and a military hospital at around 7.10 p.m.

"An explosion occurred at Peace Keeper's Inn and three people are wounded in the blast. Initial investigation disclosed that an IED (improvised explosive device) was placed inside a plastic bag and left at an unattended tricycle parked in the area," Bacarro said.

The hotel is located inside the provincial police headquarters in the village of Asturias in downtown Jolo. The deputy governor of Jolo island, Lady Ann Sahidula, said there were no reports of casualties. "There was a blast near the hotel's beauty parlor.

Authorities are still investigating the motive of the blast," she said in a separate interview.The Abu Sayyaf was also tagged as behind the bombing in March of a Church-run cooperative store that left nine people dead and 20 injured in downtown Jolo.

Philippine Army Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, on Monday inspected the bomb site and spoke to his commanders, ordering them to intensify the hunt for the Abu Sayyaf and the two JI bombers.

He also spoke to soldiers in the towns of Indanan and Patikul, urging them to get Dulmatin and Patek and Janjalani dead or alive.“Don’t give them any chance. Hit them hard and finish them off,” he said.

Troops on Sunday also disarmed two homemade bombs, assembled from mortar rockets, left at a market in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, days after a spate of bombings blamed on the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya terror network killed at least 14 people in the restive region.

The bomb, concealed in a backpack, was discovered by patrolling soldiers and militias at around 3 a.m. at the gate of the Agora market in downtown Pagadian, according to Bacarro.

Pagadian, a bustling city and center of trade and commerce in Western Mindanao, was bombed in the past and authorities had linked the Abu Sayyaf and radical members of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the attacks.

But intelligence officials said they see the signature of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya in the foiled bombing. "There is a signature and it points to the Abu Sayyaf and the JI. We can't say at this time whether the MILF was a part of this attempt to blow up the market," one army intelligence officer.

The bombings last week in the southern region were believed in retaliation to the arrest of the Indonesian wife and two children of Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, in Jolo island.

Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages 6 and 8 were arrested after Filipino soldiers pursuing Dulmatin raided a terrorist hideout in Patikul town.Dulmatin and his companion Umar Patek, who is also hiding in Jolo island are both wanted by Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the 2003 JW Mariot hotel bombing in Jakarta.

A homemade bomb exploded Oct. 11 in Cotabato City, the 3rd in less than 24 hours in the restive Central Mindanao region, where two bombs killed at least 14 people at a market in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province and in the busy business center of Makilala town in North Cotabato province.

The governor of North Cotabato, Emmanuel Pinol, linked an MILF leader -- Basit Usman -- to the attack in Makilala town, but the rebel group strongly denied the accusation. "We have nothing to do with the bombings.

The MILF is currently negotiating peace with the Philippine government and we are sincere with the talks. There is a cease-fire agreement and the MILF is not part in any of these terrorist activities," a rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf headed by Khadaffy Janjalani is protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island. As many as 31 Jemaah Islamiya militants are believed hiding in the southern Philippines, particularly in Mindanao where the MILF is actively operating, it said.No group or individual claimed responsibility for all the bombings. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 Wounded In Jolo Island Bombing

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Soldiers Foil New Bomb Attack In Southern RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Oct) - Security forces disarmed Sunday two homemade bombs planted at a market in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, days after a spate of bombings blamed on the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya terror network, killed at least 14 people in the restive region.

A Philippine military spokesman, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the bomb was discovered by patrolling soldiers and militias at around 3 a.m. at the gate of the Agora market in downtown Pagadian. The bomb, he said, was disarmed by soldiers.

He did not say who were behind the failed bombing, but soldiers recovered two bombs assembled from a 40mm and 60mm mortars.

"There is an investigation going on and we still don't know who was behind this foiled attempt to bomb the market," Bacarro told the Mindanao Examiner.

Pagadian, a bustling city and center of trade and commerce in Western Mindanao, was bombed in the past and authorities had linked the Abu Sayyaf and radical members of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the attacks.

But intelligence officials said they see the signature of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya in the foiled bombing. "There is a signature and it points to the Abu Sayyaf and the JI. We can't say at this time whether the MILF was a part of this attempt to blow up the market," one army intelligence officer.

The bombings last week in the southern region were believed in retaliation to the arrest of the Indonesian wife and two children of Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, in Jolo island. Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages 6 and 8 were arrested after Filipino soldiers pursuing Dulmatin raided a terrorist hideout in Patikul town.

Army and police commanders in Zamboanga del Sur province would not talk to reporters and ignored phone calls.

Dulmatin and his companion Umar Patek, who is also hiding in Jolo island are both wanted by Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the 2003 JW Mariot hotel bombing in Jakarta.

A homemade bomb exploded Oct. 11 in Cotabato City, the 3rd in less than 24 hours in the restive Central Mindanao region, where two bombs killed at least 14 people at a market in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province and in the busy business center of Makilala town in North Cotabato province.

The governor of North Cotabato, Emmanuel Pinol, linked an MILF leader -- Basit Usman -- to the attack in Makilala town, but the rebel group strongly denied the accusation.

"We have nothing to do with the bombings. The MILF is currently negotiating peace with the Philippine government and we are sincere with the talks. There is a cease-fire agreement and the MILF is not part in any of these terrorist activities," a rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf headed by Khadaffy Janjalani is protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island. As many as 31 Jemaah Islamiya militants are believed hiding in the southern Philippines, particularly in Mindanao where the MILF is actively operating, it said.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for all the bombings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Australia Denies SAS Hunt For Terrorists In South RP

Canberra has denied Australian SAS troops have been involved in terrorist-hunting operations in the southern Philippines.

A report in News Ltd newspapers on Saturday claimed about 20 SAS soldiers took part in a joint US-Philippines military campaign running over the past two months to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf terror group.

Abu Sayyaf is believed to have been sheltering Indonesian Jemaah Islamiah terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek, wanted for their part in the blasts on Bali that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

But the Department of Defence said Philippines laws prevented Australian troops participating in operations.

"The Australian Defence Force has not been involved in counter terrorism operations in the Philippines," Defence said in a statement.

"Australia does not have any ADF personnel deployed to the Philippines on operations. The Australian government respects the Philippines' Constitution which prohibits operations with foreign forces without a treaty level agreement."

Defence said one special forces officer went to the Philippines to observe a joint US-Philippines operation in March this year, but did not take part.

"This exercise undertakes civil-military activities and does not involve operations," it said.
"The Australian officer was observing the US-Philippines exercise planning process and at no time was he involved in operations of any kind."

Defence said it was working with the Philippines to develop a patrol of up to 30 boats suitable for the riverine and marshland areas of Mindanao, but the plan would not involve troop operations in the Philippines.

Similarly, Australia's annual counter-hijack training in the Philippines did not involve operations, it said. (The Age/AAP)

Australian Special Forces Operate In South RP...

...Special forces wage war by stealth

ANALYSIS

Greg Sheridan

A SMALL team of about 20 Australian Special Air Service soldiers has been helping track down Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah terrorists in the southern Philippines.

The soldiers have been notionally in joint patrols with Filipino military personnel but in truth the Australians are leading the efforts they are involved with.

For the past couple of months a spasmodically ferocious effort has been waged in Mindanao, in particular on the island of Jolo, to eradicate the ASG, an al-Qa'ida affiliated terror group of extreme violence and cruelty.

The SAS campaign is the nearest the Australian special forces have come to direct combat operations in Southeast Asia since the Vietnam War. The SAS was involved in East Timor but that was peace-keeping rather than combat.

Under The Philippines' constitution, foreign forces are not allowed to have permanent bases or engage in direct combat on Philippines' soil. This has hampered the US, which has the broadest and deepest military relationship with The Philippines.

However, the US and the Armed Forces of the Philippines get around this restriction by having the US provide training and logistical support. As one official puts it, this means the US locates the enemy, transports the Filipino soldiers to the enemy, loads and cocks the rifle and invites the Filipinos to fire. It is a universal judgment that the Filipino forces are much more effective when accompanied by Americans.

According to reliable sources there are about 100 US special forces soldiers involved in the campaign against the ASG, centred on Jolo. This includes Green Berets, Navy SEALS and CIA counter-terrorist forces.

The Australians have operated along similar lines to the Americans. The particular Australian SAS quality wanted in the southern Philippines was their legendary expertise in small boats. The SAS has been using rigid inflatable craft, similar to the boats they used in the Tampa operations, and other slightly larger boats.

Sources suggest a number of JI and ASG terrorists have been caught by the use of fast boats, although it's not known whether Australians have been involved in these captures.

The flow of terrorists between Indonesia and the southern Philippines, and sometimes the Borneo states of Malaysia, has been a great weakness in the campaign against Islamist terror in Southeast Asia. However, the Malaysians have upgraded their maritime police capacity and the Americans and Australians have worked hard to enhance The Philippines' maritime capacity.

As part of its Defence Co-operation Program with The Philippines, Canberra will provide Manila with up to 30 riverine craft, which will be used for shallow water reconnaissance, manoeuvre and interdiction.

This capacity is designed to allow The Philippines forces to easily move a company group of about 150 soldiers around coastal and river waters. This will be a substantial lift in The Philippines' counter-terrorist capacity, especially in their southern waters.

The Australian SAS deployment is small, although 20 SAS men comprise a lethal and formidable force. However, its larger significance is as part of a huge, well co-ordinated and generally low-profile Australian effort across Southeast Asia.

The SAS is involved in a great deal of counter-terrorist training. In The Philippines it carries out an annual hostage rescue exercise as well as other training of Philippines special forces. It is not as operationally forward-leaning in other Southeast Asian nations but it does a great deal of pure training.

So does the Australian Federal Police. The AFP is present all over Southeast Asia. In some countries, such as Thailand, its role has tended to be predominantly liaison, passing and receiving information about terrorism and trans-national crime.

But in other countries, such as The Philippines and Indonesia, the AFP has become deeply involved in investigations and has helped with key police technology.

Overall, the war on terror in Southeast Asia presents a mixed and conflicting picture. Zachary Abuza, a terrorism expert from Simmons College in Boston, visited Australia this week and gave a mixed report on Indonesia's JI.

On the one hand, JI has been badly weakened by the effective police action taken against it. Some 300 Indonesian militants have been prosecuted. On the other hand, some 20 senior JI leaders remain at large. At least some of them are believed to be hiding out in the southern Philippines.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is the biggest terrorist group in The Philippines, many times larger than the ASG, and it controls large portions of territory in Mindanao. It has traditionally given safe haven to JI figures. However, recently it has expelled some senior JI figures from its territory and they have been forced to take refuge with the ASG in Jolo and nearby islands.

Nonetheless, Abuza points out that the MILF remains long term very pessimistic about the chances of concluding a full peace agreement with The Philippines Government.

He believes it is still allowing lower and middle-ranked JI figures to hide in its territory but, partly because it does not want to be formally classified as a terrorist organisation, it will at least now distance itself from the most notorious JI leaders, such as Bali bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Abuza remains relatively pessimistic that the MILF has really severed its links to JI.

Perhaps more importantly, Abuza sees JI moving to a new model within Indonesia. This is what he calls the inverted triangle, where most of its activity is above ground and visible, but its terrorist activities remain hidden.

Abuza believes JI will try to transform itself into a Hamas-style movement. It will do this through emphasising charitable and educational works, often carried out through affiliated groups, notionally at some distance from JI itself.

This, Abuza believes, will allow JI to take advantage of the Indonesian Government's understandable desire to wean JI activists off terrorism, in part by encouraging them to involve themselves in community works.

However, Abuza makes the devastating point that all its charitable works have not seen Hamas drop any part of its extremist agenda or its commitment to terrorism.

JI and its front groups have used the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and the earthquake earlier this year in Java to re-establish themselves in community eyes by providing volunteers for relief work.

Even though the Indonesian security forces have deeply penetrated JI's pesantren or school network, the building up of this broad JI social infrastructure, some of which still benefits from Saudi funds, will be vital to its ability to continue the terrorist struggle.

There is some speculation over a split in JI, between those who want to keep bombing and those who want to concentrate on social works and indoctrination. But the two strategies are not mutually exclusive. If JI and affiliated groups build up their credibility, support base, financial reserves and membership today, they will be much more devastating when they return full-scale to terrorism down the track.

Meanwhile, the region's other hot spot, southern Thailand, has not so far benefited from the fall of Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister.

The southern Thai extremists are so far continuing to refuse any significant presence to JI. And they are not yet systematically attacking foreigners. But by Southeast Asian standards they are running an extraordinarily deadly insurgency, perhaps 1700 dead in the past couple of years. And the rate of attacks has not altered one speck with the fall of Thaksin.

Some analysts believe it may be that the US and Australia were too successful in trying to turn the Thai military into a conventional armed force, focused on external threats, because so far it has not waged the low-intensity, counter-insurgent campaign in the south well.

The good guys in the region are working hard. So are the bad guys. Australia is making a huge, mostly quiet, effort, but this struggle has miles and miles to run. (The Australian)

General Visits Troops Wounded In Sayyaf Fighting

Philippine Army Major General Eugenio Cedo, center, speaks with soldiers who were wounded while fighting al-Qaida militants linked to Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants in the southern island of Jolo, during his visit to a military hospital Friday Oct. 13, 2006, in Zamboanga, southern Philippines. Two Philippine army soldiers were killed in a gunbattle Wednesday as they pressed a continuing offensive against militants, on southern Jolo island, believed to be the hideout of Indonesian terrorists Dumatin and Umar Patek, with the military vowing not to be distracted by apparent rebel diversionary bomb attacks. (Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Oct) – Philippine Army Major General Eugenio Cedo on Friday visited soldiers wounded in clashes with the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Jolo island.

Cedo, clad in camouflage uniform and accompanied by senior army officials, spoke to each of eight army scout ranger soldiers at a military hospital in Zamboanga City. He also gave them P5,000 each.

“Don’t worry, our soldiers are pursuing the terrorists who are responsible to all these. And we will get one by one until they are all eliminated,” Cedo told the soldiers.

The soldiers were wounded in Wednesday fighting in Jolo’s Patikul town where two infantrymen also died.

Cedo said troops were pursuing the chieftain of the Abu Sayyaf, Khadaffy Janjalani; and two senior Jemaah Islamiya leaders, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both wanted in the bombings of two night clubs in the resort island of Bali in 2002 and the JW Marriot hotel in 2003 in Jakarta that killed more than 200 people.

The Jemaah Islamiya is also believed as behind the 2004 bombing of a Filipino ferry off Manila Bay that killed 116 people-the second-worst terrorist attack in Southeast Asia after the 2002 Bali bombs.

The group was largely blamed by Philippine authorities in a series of bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 and wounded more than 100 people. One of the bombs exploded at an open square less than a hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. has offered a $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin, an electronics specialist with training in al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan.

Dulmatin fled to Mindanao in the southern Philippines soon after the bombing of the JW Marriott hotel. There, he is one of four top JI leaders—including Umar Patek, Zulkifli bin Hir and Abdul Rahman Ayub—who trained members of JI and the Abu Sayyaf group in MILF camps in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Heroine Of Cotabato City

HEROINE: A 21-year old sales lady, Maria, has become an overnight heroine after she discovered a bomb and alerted shoppers, screaming at everyone to evacuate the store immediately. The bomb exploded minutes later. Maria says she saw the man, believed to be a foreigner, who planted the bomb. A regional police commander, Chief Supt. German Doria, left, presents Maria to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secy. Ronaldo Puno, right, and Cotabato City Mayor Muslimen Sema, 2nd from right, who praised the woman for her courage and vigilance. (Mindanao Examiner/Mark Navales)

Photo: High Alert In Mindanao

HIGH ALERT: Soldiers and policemen stepped up security in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province after a series of bomb attackes, blamed on the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya, killed at least 14 people since Tuesday in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner/Mark Navales)

2 Soldiers Killed, 8 Others Wounded In Sayyaf Clash In Jolo Island

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Bomb Explodes In Cotabato City In Southern RP

Policemen in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines guard a checkpoint on Wednesday 11 Oct 2006. A spate of bomb attacks since Tuesday had killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 2 dozens in the restive southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 11 Oct) - A homemade bomb exploded on Wednesday in Cotabato City, the 3rd in less than 24 hours in the restive southern Philippines region, where troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants, officials said.

Officials said there were no reports of casualties in the latest bombing that occurred at around 11.45 a.m. in downtown Cotabato. The bomb was assembled from an 81mm mortar, concealed in a bag and left near the office of the United Coconut Planters Bank along Don Rufino Alonzo Street.

"There are no casualties in the explosion," Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Two more similar explosives were also recovered by soldiers in the busy business center of Makilala town in North Cotabato province, bombed late Tuesday that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 2 dozens more.

A bomb also ripped through a market in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province at noon on Tuesday, killing two women and wounding four other civilians, three of them women.

Intelligence officials blamed the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation as behind the spate of bombings.

"It has all the signatures of the three groups, especially the MILF, which had carried out similar bombings in civilian targets in the past," one senior official said.

But the MILF has denied involvements in all three blasts. "We have nothing to do with the bombings.

The MILF is currently negotiating peace with the Philippine government and we are sincere with the talks. There is a cease-fire agreement and the MILF is not part in any of these terrorist activities," a rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said.

The bombings came just a week after security forces arrested the Indonesian wife - Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages 6 and 8 – of a Jemaah Islamiya militant, Dulmatin, in Jolo island.

Filipino soldiers are pursuing Dulmatin and his companion Umar Patek, both tagged by Jakarta as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf headed by Khadaffy Janjalani is protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island.

As many as 31 Jemaah Islamiya militants are believed hiding in the southern Philippines, particularly in Mindanao where the MILF is actively operating, it said.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the twin bombings and military and police were not sure at this early whether the attacks had been carried out by the Abu Sayyaf or the Jemaah Islamiya, or if they were in retaliation to the capture of Dulmatin's wife.

Mindanao Development Council chairman Virgilio Leyretana on Wednesday condemned the attacks.

"We condemn in strongest terms these ruthless and senseless acts of terrorism done against innocent civilians. Not even an iota of reason can ever justify the conduct of these barbaric and cowardly acts against human beings," he said. (With reports from Juan Magtanggol, Abdullah Cusain and Mark Navales)

JI, MILF Tagged As Behind North Cotabato Bombing

NORTH COTABATO (Caloy Bautista / 11 Oct) - The series of bombings in Central Mindanao which killed seven and wounded 33 civilians Oct. 10 and 11 was the handiwork of the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya and implemented by elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, according to North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel F. Pinol.

The bombing run started Tuesday morning with an explosion that rocked Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province resulting in one death and three injuries.

Another bomb exploded at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday in front of the Makilala municipal gymnasium killing six and wounding 30 civilians. A third explosion rocked Cotabato City on Wednesday morning.

The military earlier said that two women were killed and four others wounded in the blast in Tacurong and that police claimed as many as 12 people had died in Makilala bombing.

Two unexploded 81mm mortars, rigged to a cellular phone, were also recovered by authorities Wednesday morning, in front of the Makilala municipal building.

The cell phone which was designed to detonate the bomb proved to be the source of information as it contained missed calls and messages from numbers identified to be used by MILF 105th base sub-commander Basit Usman.

"The cell phone that was recovered in the unexploded bomb proved to be a rich trove of information that clearly identified the people who implemented the series of bombings in Central Mindanao yesterday and early today," Gov. Pinol said.

Gov. Pinol said orders for the bombings came from Indonesian terrorist Dulmatin in retaliation for the arrest of his wife, Istiada, in Jolo on October 3.

The operation was implemented by elements of the MILF led by Usman following the transfer of funds to finance the operation from Zamboanga City last week.

"The MILF now cannot wash their hands and simply say they know nothing of the bombing that killed and injured my people," Gov. Pinol said.

He said he will formally file a protest against the MILF for violation of the ceasefire agreement.

"Let the MILF come clean and they can only do that if they turn over to the authorities the people behind the series of bombings, especially Basit Usman."

The local police said it would file criminal charges against Usman for his involvement in the Makilala bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Bombings In Southern Philippines

Policeman guard the entrance of the Makilala municipal hall where an 81mm mortar bomb is detonated Tuesday 10 Oct 2006, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than two dozen people. While in Cotabato City, Mayor Muslimen Sema points to an area where another bomb exploded Wednesday 11 Oct 2006. (Mindanao Examiner/Mark Navales)

12 More Dead In Latest Bombing In Southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO (Juan Magtanggol / 10 Oct) - A powerful homemade exploded late Tuesday in Makilala town North Cotabato province in the southern Philippines and killing at least a dozen people, police and military reports said.

The reports said the bombing near the town hall of Makilala also wounded more than 20 people. The attack, the second in eight hours, occurred as villagers were celebrating the town's founding day.

But a provincial spokesman, Carlos Bautista, claimed that initial reports he got only 5 people had died. "Initial reports said 5 people were killed and at least 20 others are wounded in the blast," he told the Mindanao Examiner by phone.

Military and police journals said the bomb used in the latest attack was assembled from an 81mm mortar, the same two unidentified men detonated at 12.30 p.m. at a market in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province that left two people dead and four more wounded.

The two bombings came just a week after security forces arrested the Indonesian wife - Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages 6 and 8 – of a Jemaah Islamiya militant, Dulmatin, in Jolo island.

Two women were killed and three more women and a man wounded in the Tacurong bombing.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the twin bombings and military and police were not sure at this early whether the attacks had been carried out by the Abu Sayyaf or the Jemaah Islamiya, or if they were in retaliation to the capture of Dulmatin's wife. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Military Confirms Arrest Of Dulmatin's Wife

Scanned photographs of captured Indonesian woman, Istiada BT. H. Oemar Sovie alias Amenah Toha and her two children. Istiada, arrested by Filipino troops in the southern island of Jolo, is the wife of Jemaah Islamiya militant Dulmatin, who is one of Asia's most wanted terror leader whose group is tied to al-Qaeda network. Indonesian authorities has tagged Dulmatin as one of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali nightclubs and the 2003 JW Marriot Hotel bombings in Jakarta. (Mindanao Examnier)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Oct) – The Philippine military on Friday has confirmed the arrest of an Indonesian wife of wanted Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, in a raid at a terrorist hideout in the southern island of Jolo.

"We are confirming the arrest of the woman, Istiada Bt. H. Oemar Sovie, alias Amenah Toha, who is Dulmatin's wife. She admitted to be the wife of the terrorist leader Dulmatin and she is being interrogated in Zamboanga City.

Troops are still tracking down Dulmatin on the island (of Jolo)," Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from Manila.

He said the woman was arrested in Jolo’s Patikul town in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday. The raid also led the arrest of an Abu Sayyaf militant Nadzmir Abduraji Amad in the neighboring town of Talipao.

He said Filipino soldiers captured the woman who was with her two children in a raid that originally targeted Dulmatin. "Our operation against Dulmatin and the other terrorists will continue until they are captured," Bacarro said.

Security forces are also pursuing Dulmatin's companion, Umar Patek, a Malaysian JI member, and leaders of the local terror group, the Abu Sayyaf, headed by Khadaffy Janjalani.

Bacarro said the woman is being investigated whether she had a role in Dulmatin's terror activities. Both Dulmatin and Patek were tagged by Jakarta as behind the 2002 Bali bombings. Dulmatin is one of Asia’s most wanted Jemaah Islamiya leaders.

He said the woman admitted to military interrogators that she is the wife of the 37-year old Dulmatin, also known as Amar Bin Usman.

Dulmatin’s wife also said that she sneaked by boat to the southern Philippine island of Tawi-Tawi from Malaysia in August 2003 and was fetched by Azhar, a Jemaah Islamiya militant, and brought to Jolo island to join the group of the wanted terror leader and the Abu Sayyaf.

The Jemaah Islamiya is also believed as behind the 2004 bombing of a Filipino ferry off Manila Bay that killed 116 people-the second-worst terrorist attack in Southeast Asia after the 2002 Bali bombs.

The group was largely blamed by Philippine authorities in a series of bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 and wounded more than 100 people. One of the bombs exploded at an open square less than a hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. has offered a $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin, an electronics specialist with training in al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan. He is a senior figure in the Jemaah Islamiya terrorist organization and is believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the bombings of two night clubs in Bali, which killed 202 people, mostly Australians, including seven U.S. citizens.

Dulmatin fled to Mindanao in the southern Philippines soon after the August 2003 bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta. There, he is one of four top JI leaders—including Umar Patek, Zulkifli bin Hir and Abdul Rahman Ayub—who trained members of JI and the Abu Sayyaf group in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camps in the Philippines, said Zachary Abusa, an Asian terror expert.

In 2005, Dulmatin and Umar Patek ordered Abdullah Sonata, a JI operative in Central Java who was arrested in conjunction with the September 4, 2004 Australian Embassy bombing, to dispatch additional JI members to Mindanao for training. He has also called for JI suicide bombers to be sent to the Philippines for operations.

Abusa said Dulmatin, along with Zulkarnaen and Abu Rusdan, was designated for involvement in terrorism by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in April, and placed on the UN's 1267 Committee for terrorist financing in early 2005. (Mindanao Examiner)