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| Southeast Asia |
| Bali bombers still hiding out in Mindanao |
| 2006-02-17 |
| The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday said that it will step up its hunt on two Jemaah Islamiah (JI) members who are reportedly still hiding in the dense jungle of central Mindanao. The military identified the two suspected terrorists as Dulmatin, a Malaysian engineer said to be involved in the Bali bombing in October 2002, and Omar Patek, an Indonesian explosive expert. Col. Tristan Kison, chief of the AFP public information office, said the strengthening of operation against the two is part of the directive of President Arroyo. Kison told reporters in a press briefing that AFP intelligence officers updated President Arroyo on the status of the two JI operatives hiding in the country. "The intelligence officers gave the impression [to the President] that Dulmatin and Patek might be in Central Mindanao," Kison said. Dulmatin and Patek reportedly entered the country sometime in 2004 and were reportedly being coddled by the group of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |