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| Southeast Asia |
| MILF to hunt down Islamic militants in Mindanao |
| 2006-05-31 |
| Hope they don't get confused with these MILFS Muslim separatists holding peace talks with the Philippine government have agreed to hunt down 53 Islamic militants as a sign of their sincerity to end a 30-year-old conflict. A list containing the names was recently handed over to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by the government, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said. Under a "cooperation framework" signed with the government in 2002 the MILF said it would help Manila "interdict or arrest terrorist elements" operating in its areas, Kabalu said. "We have a list of criminal elements the government has submitted to us to be apprehended," he told reporters late Sunday in Cotabato on the insurgency-wracked island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. MILF officials were now "validating" the list, which includes the names of renegade Muslim rebels with possible links to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as well as Khadaffy Janjalani, leader of the Abu Sayyaf. militants blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist bombings and a spate of kidnappings, while the JI is said to be linked to Al-Qaeda. The JI has also been blamed for the deadly October 2002 bombings in Bali that killed over 200 people. Tens of thousands of members and supporters of the MILF, which has been waging a separatist rebellion in Mindanao since 1978, have gathered at one its camps near Cotabato for three days of peace talks that opened on Sunday. Kabalu said he was hopeful a final peace agreement will be signed this year but intelligence reports that foreign JI members are undergoing bomb-making training in MILF camps have been a persistent thorn in the negotiations. The MILF has denied the reports, but security analysts say JI elements appear to be increasingly infiltrating Islamic liberation movements, including the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf. The Abu Sayyaf, which is on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, has been on the run from a massive military operation in its island stronghold of Jolo. Its numbers have dwindled to a few hundred from a high of over 1,000 in 2000, but Janjalani and his key lieutenants are believed to have eluded military troops and are now hiding out in MILF-controlled parts of Mindanao. Asked whether the MILF will arrest one of its commanders if found to be shielding those on the list, Kabalu said: "Yes, of course. That is the mandate of the AJAG (Ad Hoc Joint Action Group)." Kabalu's comments came a month after both sides agreed during exploratory talks in Malaysia to "bolster the joint campaign against lawlessness and criminality." After the list is verified, Kabalu said MILF units would either operate on its own and arrest those named on it or would team up with government forces. "We have the option to operate unilaterally and then turn them over to the military," Kabalu said. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales last month confirmed that the government was working with the MILF and that the joint action group has resulted in several arrests. But he declined to name who had been detained saying it could affect ongoing operations. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #4 tough mothers...but not good... this is a pig in a poke |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-05-31 22:52 |
| #3 Mothers I'd Like to.... Fool around with? |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2006-05-31 22:12 |
| #2 Lipless Eid is nothing but a diversion to the truth. He is never going to give up KJ or Hapilon. He will get the Phils to sign the treaty and NEVER give up a single key leader. Just a little background check on Gonzo will reveal he has Tausug blood in his veins and does not have the Philippines government best interests at heart. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-05-31 14:02 |
| #1 havent we heard this before |
| Posted by: bk 2006-05-31 12:34 |