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| Southeast Asia |
| Aussies deny involvement of elite troops in Philippines hunt |
| 2005-10-11 |
| The Philippines has denied that elite Australian troops have joined Filipino soldiers in hunting for Jemaah Islamiah militants. Philippines military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual said Australian security forces have only been involved in investigations into recent bomb attacks in the country, and the Philippine constitution bars any foreign troops from engaging in military operations. He was responding to reports in News Ltd newspapers, citing an unnamed former agent as saying that Australian agents and Special Air Service Regiment troops were cooperating with Filipino soldiers in the hunt for senior terrorist figures. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer confirmed earlier this week that Australian personnel were in the Philippines, providing assistance to Filipino police and armed forces, but would not provide further details. However, Pascual also warned that at least two terrorist cells composed of Filipino and Indonesian Muslim militants were plotting bombings in the Philippines capital Manila. He said military intelligence agents were tracking down at least four people in each of the cells, but identified them only as members of the al-Qaeda linked groups Jemaah Islamiah and Abu Sayyaf. Philippine security officials said earlier that Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani was hiding with alleged Jemaah Islamiah militants Dulmatin and Umar Patek in the southern Philippines. "They obviously are believed to still be in South-East Asia, possibly the Philippines. But the nature of these terrorist organisations is that they can move from country to country," US Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop told Manila Radio DZBB today. "We're working very closely with the Philippine government, Philippine security, to shut down that kind of possibility that terrorists can move in and out of the country," he said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 The Fil cops and soldiers are virtually worthless, despite SF training. Any serious work must come from outside. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2005-10-11 02:33 |