It is the lost command of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front and not the MILF itself, that is giving sanctuary to dozens of members of the Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (J.I.) reportedly undergoing training in the South, the military said Wednesday. âThey [MILF] have lost commands, and these are the ones helping the J.I. by providing places for their training,â said Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, chief of the Armed Forces public information office. âBear in mind that the MILF is not a homogenous organization. A faction or the lost commands are the ones giving sanctuaries to these terrorists,â Lucero added.
Lucero issued the statement after the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ISG) said in its report that Mindanao-trained J.I. members have boosted the J.I. ranks operating in Indonesia. It pointed to the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf bandits as the ones helping members of the Asian terror group. Despite the report, Lucero said the military is banking on an earlier agreement forged in May 2002, guaranteeing the MILFâs cooperation in the governmentâs antiterrorism campaign. The rebels committed to flush out foreign and local terrorists within the organization, and chase them out of territory it controlled. |