Philippine terrorists reduced to life of crime, US says

From ABS-CBN (Jun1): Philippine terrorists reduced to life of crime, US says

Terrorist groups in the Philippines have become no more than ordinary criminals raising money to sustain themselves, according to the US government.

The US State Department's "Country Reports on Terrorism 2012" published Friday identified Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Jemaah Islamiya (JI), and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), as the terrorist groups operating in the Philippines.

However, the report said the groups' terrorist activities "remained constrained."

"Terrorist groups' acts were generally limited to criminal activities designed to generate revenue for self-sustainment, such as kidnapping-for-ransom or extortion," the report said.

"Nonetheless, members of these groups were suspected to have carried out bombings against government, public, and private facilities, primarily in the central and western areas of Mindanao; others were linked to extortion operations in other parts of the country," it added.

The US State Department identified several high-profile terrorist incidents that occurred in the Philippines in 2012. They include:

- On May 31, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in front of the residence of Isabela City Mayor Santos-Akbar, wounding two civilians.

- On July 26, nine soldiers were killed and 12 wounded when the AFP clashed with militants in Sumisip on the island of Basilan. Five militants were reportedly killed in the incident.

- On August 16, a bomb destroyed a city bus in Zamboanga City, injuring at least seven. A second bomb exploded an hour later in front of a nearby mosque. No one was injured in the second blast.

- On September 1, around 48 civilians were injured when a grenade exploded during a village fiesta in Paquibato District outside of Davao City. The NPA later issued an apology for the attack, claiming the grenade was thrown at an AFP detachment but bounced off some netting and landed inside an adjacent basketball gym where a circus was being held.

- On October 11, an IED exploded near the entrance of Maxandrea Hotel in downtown Cagayan de Oro City, killing two civilians after police arrived to investigate suspicious activity reported in the area. A second IED was found on a street adjacent to the hotel, but was safely detonated.

Joint efforts by the Philippines and US governments to go after suspected terrorists is hampered by under-resourced and understaffed law enforcement and justice system, along with widespread corruption of local officials, the report said.

This resulted in limited domestic investigations, unexecuted arrest warrants, few prosecutions, and lengthy trials of cases, it added.

Among the victories achieved by authorities are:

- On February 2, the AFP launched an operation on Jolo Island that reportedly killed ASG commander Umbra Jumdail (aka Dr. Abu) and 14 other ASG members.

- On May 23, Philippine National Police Officer Arnold Mayo was charged with murder. Witnesses reportedly identified him as planting a bomb that exploded inside a commuter bus on a major highway in Makati City and killed five passengers in January 2011.

- On June 21, Alawie Pasihul was arrested in Zamboanga City on suspicion of being part of an ASG group that kidnapped American citizens Martin and Gracia Burnham and Guillermo Sobero in May 2001. (Fourteen other ASG members were convicted in 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment for their participation in the kidnapping that resulted in the deaths of Sobero, Martin Burnham, and Philippine nurse Ediborah Yap.)

- On December 14, Mohammad Noor Fikrie bin Abdul Kahar, a suspected Malaysian JI member, was killed in Davao by police after he threatened to detonate an explosive device in his backpack.

The US State Department said Manila remains an important partner of Washington in its anti-terrorism assistance program.

The program aims to support a transition in the southern Philippines from military to civilian counter-terrorism authority.

The report also discussed the Philippines' fight against terrorist finance and money laundering.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/05/31/13/philippine-terrorists-reduced-life-crime-us-says