Bandits, Islamic militants, still active in Mindanao–US report

From the Business Mirror (May 1): Bandits, Islamic militants, still active in Mindanao–US report

THE Armed Forces should exert more effort to curtail the growth of bandit and terrorist groups in the country that are still scattered in areas around Mindanao, particularly in Sulu and Basilan, despite a drastic decrease in membership.

 

A country report on terrorism that was issued by the US State Department noted that while the memberships of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and even the Jema’ah Islamiyah (JI) have been successfully pared downed through the country’s joint efforts with the US, bandits and terrorists are still present in some areas in the South.

 

“Abu Sayyaf Group members, numbering a few hundred, were known to be present in remote areas in Mindanao, especially on the islands of Basilan and Sulu,” the report, which was released on April 30, said.

 

“JI members, of whom there are only a small number remaining, are in a few isolated pockets of Mindanao,” the report added.

 

The ASG and the JI are both linked with the international terror group al-Qaeda. The Abu Sayyaf, however, has resorted to banditry like kidnapping for ransom to raise funds.

 

The country report, which examined the state of terrorism in countries around the world, said the country’s geography abetted the existence of terrorism, although ongoing counterterrorism operations were also successful.

 

“The geographical composition of the Philippines, spread out over 7,107 islands, made it difficult for the central government to maintain a presence in all areas,” it said.

 

“Counterterrorism operations over the past 12 years, however, have been successful at isolating the location and constraining the activities of transnational terrorists,” it added.

 

The report cited the Sulu archipelago and even the Sulawesi Sea as a principal problem.

 

“The numerous islands in the Sulawesi Sea and the Sulu Archipelago make it a difficult region for authorities to monitor. The range of licit and illicit activities that occur there—including worker migration, tourism and trade—pose additional challenges to identifying and countering the terrorist threat,” it said.

 

While the US State Department noted that Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines had improved their efforts to control their shared maritime boundaries, including through the US-funded Coast Watch South radar network, the expanse remained difficult to control.

 

“Surveillance improved, but remained partial at best, and traditional smuggling and piracy groups have provided an effective cover for terrorist activities, including the movement of personnel, equipment and funds,” it said.

 

Overall, it also said Southeast Asia “is vulnerable to exploitation by illicit traffickers and proliferators given the high volume of global trade that ships through the region, as well as the existence of smuggling and proliferation networks.”

 

“Weak strategic trade controls, legal and regulatory frameworks, inadequate maritime law enforcement and security capabilities, as well as emerging and reemerging infectious disease and burgeoning bioscience capacity, make Southeast Asia an area of concern for weapons of mass-destruction proliferation,” it added.

 

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/nation/31382-bandits-islamic-militants-still-active-in-mindanao-us-report