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| Southeast Asia |
| Moro Rebels Still Hiding Terrorists, Military Says |
| 2006-06-06 |
| Cotabato City, 6 June (AKI) - Filipino armed forces cannot launch an attack against militants of the al-Qaeda linked Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as they are being sheltered by the countryÂ’s largest Muslim rebel group - with which the government is currenty holding peace talks - a leading army general said Tuesday. About 30 Indonesian JI militants are hiding in the camps of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Mindanao Island, Army's Sixth Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Obaniana told Adnkronos International (AKI). "It's difficult for us to launch an offensive against them because they are protected by these rebels. We are avoiding a mis-encounter between soldiers and rebels but this can still happen in the future," Obaniana warned. "Our latest count of JI in Mindanao is 30. Ten of them are hiding in Central Mindanao region," the general added. Obaniana said the JI along with the Abu Sayyaf, led by Khadafi Janjalani, remains a serious threat to the country's security. However, he did not mention if the leaders of the 30 JI are Dulmatin and Omar Patek. The two fugitives terrorists, believed to be hiding in Mindanao, have bounties on their heads from the US State Department. |
| Posted by:Steve |