| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Mindanao troops warned of attacks |
| 2006-01-04 |
| Troops have been told to maintain high alert over the possible incursions of suspected local and foreign terrorists in big cities and large towns in Mindanao. The order was made following minor blasts that rocked Cotabato recently, the military said on Monday. The Southern Command (Southcom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) admitted that the al- Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya groups remain big threats to the generally peaceful situation in Mindanao. Maj. Gamal Hayudini, Southcom information officer, said the military does not discount the possibility of terrorism in the command’s area of responsibility, adding "the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya remain security risks in the South." As the year 2006 ended, a couple of minor blasts happened in Cotabato City, including one that hit a passenger bus. However, no major injuries were reported. "It was meant to scare people and not necessarily to physically harm anyone", the Southcom official said. Task Force -Zamboanga (TF-Zambo) uniformed and non-uniformed personnel, including women, were deployed in downtown areas here to complement mobile and foot patrols and monitoring activities undertaken by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other peacekeeping units. TF Zambo is assigned to go over the internal defense of this city. The Southcom official said the main priority of military personnel in Mindanao is on the government’s anti-terror campaign. Hayudini added that vigilance has been heightened to ensure that there is round-the-clock monitoring and surveillance of groups that may attack this city and other areas under Southcom., The military does not intend to give suspected terrorists half-a-chance to pursue their bloody activities, he stressed. The Abu Sayyaf is still the main target of the Southcom in Sulu while some elements believed to belong to the regional Jemaah Islamiya terror network are being pursued by troops in the rest of Mindanao. "Pursuit operations against the Abu Sayyaf is a continuing effort. We will see to it that the group will be crippled down to its last element. We intend to do this to prevent the gang from recruiting people and expanding its depleted membership," Hayudini explained. "When left unattended, the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya will continue to sow terror, kill innocent civilians, and destroy government and civilian targets" Hayudini said. Despite a strict security set-up, key cities and provinces in Mindanao have been previously bombed by the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaaah Islamiya for more than a decade now. The police, military and public officials have appealed to the people to be vigilant and report suspicious behavior of strangers in their areas to enable authorities to neutralize terror gangs. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |