Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Official says terror suspects still hiding in RP
MANILA -- Authorities have kept up the hunt for two top al-Qaida-linked Indonesian militants wanted by the US and other countries for deadly bomb attacks, a security official said Tuesday.
Last year, Philippine security officials said that Dulmatin, who goes by one name, and Umar Patek have trained recruits and plotted attacks from a base in the southern Philippines where they operate with the Abu Sayyaf, a small violent group also linked to al-Qaida.
The two are key suspects in the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people on Indonesia's Bali island. The attacks were blamed on the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah.
The pair reportedly fled to the southern Philippines to escape a nationwide manhunt in Indonesia, but nothing has been heard of them since a major military offensive that was believed to have driven Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, led by Khaddafy Janjalani, and the two Indonesians from southern Maguindanao province.
"From our latest reports from the operational units, we have no reason to believe that they have left the country," said Ric Blancaflor, head of the government's anti-terrorism task force.
"Definitely we're tracking Dulmatin and Umar Patek," he told foreign correspondents, but refused to divulge operational details of the manhunt, including where the two could be hiding.
Security officials have said they received information that Janjalani and at least one of the two Indonesian militants are on southern Jolo island, where about 250 American soldiers are to start a humanitarian mission next week. It includes dental treatment of poor villagers and construction of classrooms as part of annual military exercises with Filipino troops called "Balikatan".
Washington announced last year rewards of up to US$10 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Dulmatin, and up to US$1 million for Patek, citing their alleged role in the 2002 Bali attacks and involvement in Jemaah Islamiyah.
Philippine troops and police have captured 310 al-Qaida-linked militants since 2000, and kept most of the other militants on the run, preventing them from plotting attacks, Blancaflor said.
He appealed to Congress to pass pending anti-terrorism bills, saying the absence of such legislation has hampered surveillance of suspected militants and allowed a number of captured militants to post bail for common crimes.
One Filipino convert to Islam, arrested in 2002, posted bail after being charged with illegal possession of explosives and firearms, Blancaflor said.
The suspect, who received bomb training in the southern Mindanao region, was among militants who bombed a passenger bus in Manila on Valentine's Day last year, killing four people and injuring more than 60 others, Blancaflor said. (AP)
(February 15, 2006 issue)
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