No terror threats in PHL - AFP spokesperson

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 4): No terror threats in PHL - AFP spokesperson

With the sounding of the United States global terror alert on Saturday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that its field units did not detect any plot with connection to the Al-Qaeda terror group.

But this does not mean that the military will be taking its security and protection role lightly, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said Sunday.

"(We are still to monitor) any threats coming from the Al-Qaeda but definitely we will be on our toes to prevent any acts of terror, and to make sure that our citizenry are safe," he stressed.

The US issued this warning after receiving intelligence reports that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are planning an attack against American civilians worldwide.

"I do not know the basis (of their warning) but the only Al-Qaeda link we have here is the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) but we are still to detect any threats in connection with the US warning," he pointed out.

Tutaan added that the JI and its Philippine counterpart, the Abu Sayyaf Group, is more concentrated on criminal activities like kidnap-for-ransom and explosives training.

He also stated that the groups are forced into this kind of activities as they are largely contained by the military.

"We have contained them so far and that's why our operations against them are continuous in order to destroy them finally," Tutaan concluded.

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