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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
'Some' Moro rebels linked to 2 terror groups: Bali bomber's wife
MANILA -- The wife of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bomber Dulmatin who was arrested by the military last week has confirmed that some renagade Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels are collaborating with the JI and with the Abu Sayyaf Group, a military official said Monday.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public information office chief Bartolome Bacarro however expressed optimism that the link of the MILF men is not sanctioned by the leadership of the MILF, which is negotiating for a peace accord with the government.
The peace negotiations however hit a snag last month on the issue of ancestral domain.
"Based on the statement made by Oemar Sovie, she mentioned about an MILF group assisting the group of Dulmatin," said Bacarro told a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, referring to Dulmatin's wife, Istiada BT. H Oemar Sovie, who was nabbed last Wednesday in Sulu.
Sovie and her two minor children were flown in from Zamboanga City to Manila on Monday day to face further investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for violation of Philippine immigration laws.
At the DOJ, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said for lack of an anti-terrorism law, the government would be forced to relinquish custody of Sovie.
Donning a "kombong," Muslim veil over her entire face, Sovie was brought under tight security to the DOJ by military intelligence agents.
After a meeting with Gonzalez, which ran for over an hour, Gonzalez said government will have to deport Sovie despite her admission to being a "jihadist" and a member of JI herself.
"She said she is willing to be deported. She has to be deported. She admits (to) being a jihadist, but the fact that she is the wife (of a terrorist) does not necessarily make her guilty of the crime of terrorism," Gonzalez told reporters.
However, since government at present has no terrorism law, he said local authorities will have to relinquish custody of Sovie to the Indonesian government.
"We have no terrorism law, but there is violation of immigration laws because, obviously, they came from the back door. As far as the BI (Bureau of Immigration) is concerned, she is an illegal alien who entered without valid documents. But until we are through with the tactical interrogation because of the valuable information she has been giving, we will not deport her yet," he said.
With language barrier that prevented him from getting much out of her testimony, Gonzalez said investigators are still trying to evaluate if she is guilty of other offense "considering that her husband is fighting the government, and she herself said that, she told me straight that her husband will not surrender in a fight."
He said he is giving the military three weeks to finish its interrogation.
Bacarro said the statement of Sovie of a link between some MILF members with the JI and ASG bolstered a recent statement by Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz "that there have been reports of collaboration (by the JI) with some renegade MILF members."
"(It's) not the MILF group or the main MILF which is talking peace with (government). There are some members, renegade MILF members who, on their own, have been reported to be collaborating with the ASG (and JI) but not the MILF that we are talking to," he said.
Quoting from the affidavit of Sovie, Bacarro said the renegade MILF members would give sanctuary and protection to the JI and ASG whenever they encounter pursuing forces. "Every time they are pursued, then they enter at MILF areas," he said.
Bacarro could not say if the military has discussed the testimony of Sovie with the MILF. "I have no information if this has been table tabled for discussion with the MILF group but we are sure that this is not the main MILF group that we talking to," he said.
The MILF leadership has renounced its ties with terrorist groups and terrorist activities as part of its confidence-building measure on the peace process with government. The two sides have signed a ceasefire agreement sometime in 2002.
Military officials earlier said Sovie has confirmed that Dulmatin and another JI bomber, Omar Patek, were still in Sulu. They were reportedly in the company of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani who is being pursed by the military since August 1.
Bacarro would not say where Sovie would be taken into custody by the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp) while in Metro Manila except to say that, "they're not in jail. They are housed in a place where they are comfortable and they are secured. It's not a jail, not solitary confinement."
Military investigators are still in the process of establishing Sovie's possible links with JI although Bacarro said the woman has already denied her affiliations with the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network.
"Right now, that is the subject of the ongoing inquiries that the AFP is doing," said Bacarro when asked if the military has already established Sovie's ties with JI, which was reported to be not entertaining women members. (VR/ECV/Sunnex)
(October 10, 2006 issue)
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