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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Peace deal strengthens fight v. terror: Moro rebels
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- A peace deal between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would further strengthen the fight against terrorism in Mindanao, a senior Muslim rebel leader said.
Muhammad Ameen, of the MILF's central committee, said the deal would also bring stability in the troubled region, where security and rebel forces have joined the hunt against Jemaah Islamiya and Abu Sayyaf militants, whose groups are tied to al-Qaeda.
"The peace deal would make the MILF a strong partner, such as in combating syndicated crimes and other forms of evil activities, like terrorism," Ameen said.
Ameen said the MILF has repeatedly denounced terrorism.
Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, said a peace pact with Manila will further strengthen efforts to jointly combat terrorism.
"It will give us great opportunity to deal more effectively in combating not only threats of terrorism, but also criminality. The MILF is really sincere in bringing peace and helping the government develop Mindanao," Kabalu said.
Peace talks are expected to resume after the Ramadan, during which the parties hoped to finalize an agreement on a proposed homeland for three million Muslims on Mindanao.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opened peace talks in 2002 with the MILF, the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the southern Philippines.
Both sides signed an agreement last year that paved the way for the MILF to help authorities fight terrorism and criminals groups in areas where the rebels are actively operating.
Washington, which is supporting the peace talks, believes an accord will help weaken the Jemaah Islamiya or the Abu Sayyaf group operating in Mindanao.
US State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism Henry Crumpton, who visited Manila last week, said he is encouraged by the ongoing peace talks between the Arroyo government and the MILF.
He said a peace accord will bring the rebel group into the fold of the larger Filipino community. He said the group will be participating and helping in government's counter-terrorism efforts.
"We also believe that when this accord is signed, it will put enormous pressure on Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf Group. So in the long term, we think this is the most effective way forward, and important in bringing the political elements in the Philippines together," Crumpton, an ex-CIA and FBI veteran, told a news conference.
Crumpton, who is touring Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines to discuss anti-terrorism efforts, called for more strong international cooperation, especially in intelligence-sharing and the planning of security policies, to counter the evolving threat of terrorist groups.
He said the al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya were now using new methods to launch their attacks. He said the terrorist groups were splintering and becoming smaller, but the weapons they used were more powerful.
Jemaah Islamiya militants earlier this month detonated bombs on three crowded restaurants in Bali and killed 22 people and wounded more than 100 others.
The group was also implicated in deadly bombings in Bali in 2002 that killed more than 200 people, a suicide bombing on the J.W Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003, and another attack on the Australian embassy also in Jakarta in 2004 that left at least 2 dozen people dead.
Filipino authorities said two senior Jemaah Islamiya bomb-makers Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali attacks, are believed to be hiding or in the company of Abu Sayyaf militants under Khadaffy Janjalani in Mindanao.
The US tagged both the Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf group as foreign terrorist organizations and offered as much as $10 million dollars bounty each for the capture of Dulmatin and Janjalani, and $1 million for Umar Patek.
The Abu Sayyaf was also implicated by Manila and Washington for the killing of two kidnapped American citizens in Mindanao in 2001. (Sun.Star Zamboanga/Sunnex)
(October 25, 2005 issue)
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