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| Southeast Asia |
| MILF harboring JI members, Abu Sayyaf supremo |
| 2004-04-06 |
| A renegade faction of the Philippines' main Muslim separatist movement is harbouring about 30 Jemaah Islamiah militants as well as the leader of the local extremist group Abu Sayyaf, the Philippine defence chief said yesterday. Despite this, Defence Secretary Eduardo Ermita said senior commanders and political leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has resumed negotiations on ending a nearly 30-year-old insurgency, may not be aware of the situation. 'We are made to believe that their stay in the area is somehow being tolerated by the local MILF commanders (and) not necessarily known by the higher-ups involved in the peace negotiations,' Mr Ermita said. The foreign militants and Khadaffy Janjalani, leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, are believed to be hiding in MILF camps in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur provinces, where separatists have trained in bomb-making and military tactics, he said. The government has stepped up its crackdown on Muslim militants following the arrests last week of six Abu Sayyaf suspects accused of plotting to bomb targets in Manila with 36kg of TNT. According to police, all six have trained with JI militants on southern Mindanao island. The MILF has repeatedly denied harbouring militants. 'There is no truth to that. He (Mr Ermita) cannot name names, he cannot say who are the commanders coddling the JI,' rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said. Kabalu said all field commanders were under the control of the MILF leadership, and denied that any of them had taken matters into their own hands. Mr Ermita refused to disclose the number or the leaders of the renegade faction and hinted at a split within the rebel movement. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |