MILF: ‘BBL instills hope’, MSU students

Posted to the MILF Website (Sep 27): ‘BBL instills hope’, MSU students



The signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) springs hopes and aspirations to the students of Mindanao State University (MSU) in Maguindanao taking up Master of Arts in Peace and Development Studies (MAPDS).
   

The recent pace of the GPH-MILF peace deal imparts optimism to young and progressive minded individuals for a better Mindanao. This divulged the eagerness of the majority of the Mindanaoans particularly from different sectors of society who are actively involving themselves in promoting peace and development in their homeland, said Nasrudin Asi, a student of MAPDS and scion of one of the Top 300 MNLF Commanders that trained in Malaysia in early 70’s.

Students of MAPDS of MSU are immersing themselves in the promotion of the signed agreements between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH), including the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). They are coming from various government and non-government organizations that are promoting peace on its respective areas of operations.

On September 17, 2014, some of the MAPDS students participated in a forum organized by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) entitled: “Balitaktakan Hinggil sa Bangsamoro Basic Law Community Peace Forum on Air”.

Meanwhile, prior to their attendance on the said forum, they organized an activity in Barangay Kusiong, Datu Odin Sinsuat entitled “Achieving Human Rights through the lens of P.E.A.C.E.” on September 14, 2014. P.E.A.C.E. stands for P – Participatory; E – Equity; A – Appropriate; C – Conscientization; and E – Environmentally Friendly. Majority of the participants were Indigenous People (IP) from Teduray tribe.  

Recently, the long-awaited Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has been submitted by the Office of the President to the House of Congress on September 10, 2014 and consequently made public.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1237-‘bbl-instills-hope’-msu-students

MILF: Joint Normalization Committee Team holds orientation

Posted to the MILF Website (Sep 27): Joint Normalization Committee Team holds orientation



The Joint Normalization Committee Team (JNC) headed by Mohammad Nasip from the MILF Central Committee based in Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao held orientation on normalization last September 21, 2014 at Camp Salman Alfarisee, Datu  Tumanggung, Tungangawan,  Zamboanga Sibugay Province.
   

The activity was participated by hundreds of POLCOM members from provincial level down to the barangay level including BIAF, BIWAB and SWC members.

The participants came from Kalibugan Province, Moro Province, Sibugay Province, Zamboanga city and Zamboanga Del Sur.

The International Monitoring Team (IMT) comprising Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia headed by Col. Jamaludin Jambi also attended the activity.

Mohammad Nasip said in his message that the organization of JNC has been completed the reason why they are going from one MILF Camp to another to provide information on the process of normalization. He added that Camp Salman’s 113th Base Camp is the 3rd one they have visited.

Atty.  Najib Sinarimbo, Legal Counsel of JNC team presented the functions of the JNC.  According to him, normalization is one of the most important and sensitive parts of the FAB.  He explained that normalization has three major components, namely:  Security, Socio-Economic and Transitional justice.

The security aspect is the most important part of the normalization because it includes policing, redeployment of AFP, decommissioning of MILF Combatants and disbandment of private armed groups.

On socio-economic development programs ,the  JNC  team will look into priority needs  of  the BIAF  combatants not only  for short- term livelihood programs, but  looking forward  to address  the combatants needs in term of  skills development and  financial support.

On Transitional Justice, Atty. Sinarimbo said that the JNC team is trying its best to facilitate the grant of amnesty program to members of the Moro Front who are jailed and facing criminal charges in pursuance of the political struggle of the Moro people. Human right violations committed on Moros as well as their legitimate grievances will also be addressed.

He also mentioned the submission of the modified draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) last Sept.  10, 2014 to President Benigno  Aquino III and transmitted  on the same date to Congress.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1236-joint-normalization-committee-team-holds-orientation

MILF: Core Group established to support CAB and BBL

Posted to the MILF Website (Sep 27): Core Group established to support CAB and BBL



To support the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB), a core group was established by the North Cotabato- Local Government Unit (LGU) along with the Special Agency for Women Concerns (SAWC) last June 28, 2014.
  

Board Members Hon. Dulia D. Sultan, Hon. Mohammad Kely Antao and SAWC Chairwoman, Ustad Zahara Zumbaga-Taya led the establishment of the said group.

An advocacy on CAB was held at Pikit Central Elementary School, Pikit, Cotabato on June 7, 2014 prior to the founding of the said group.

Hence, meetings were done on June 21 and 28, respectively.

Some member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), UNYPAD and representatives of Women Sector composed this group.

http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/1235-core-group-established-to-support-cab-and-bbl

CPP/NPA: NPA, people’s militia launch series of attritive actions against 69th IB in Davao

NPA propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Sep 26): NPA, people’s militia launch series of attritive actions against 69th IB in Davao

Leoncio Pitao (Kumander Parago)
Spokesperson
Southern Mindanao 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion (1st Pulang Bagani Battalion)

 

Fascist troops under the 69th Infantry Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division, disguised as Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP) forces, have suffered more casualties in the last five attritive actions this month by the New People’s Army and people’s militia in Paquibato and Calinan districts, Davao City. At least six AFP troops were killed in these incidents which were deliberately unreported and concealed by the 10th ID-AFP to prevent demoralization of its foot soldiers.

On September 23, the New People’s Army discharged its command detonated explosive in Baksarpa, Brgy. Malabog, hitting a passing Km 40 Army vehicle at around 7:30 am. Two 69th IB soldiers were killed and scores were wounded. Army rescuers cordoned the ambush site to ward off residents from investigating the incident.

On September 20, the same Army unit were hit by the NPA’s sniper bullets, killing two of its soldiers in Cagamcam, Brgy. Sumimao. On September 24, another soldier was hit by the NPA sniper in Kibaton, Brgy. Domingga, Calinan.

On September 9, the 1st Pulang Bagani Battalion-NPA ambushed and chased off a squad of PDOP forces in Salagunting, Brgy. Fatima; one soldier was killed and three were wounded.

Earlier on September 3, people’s militia confiscated eight military vests, pack bags and ammunition which were left off unguarded by the 69th IB combat troops in their military detachment in Km 5 Brgy. Mapula. Afterwards, the people’s militia burned the detachment.

The Army’s rights abuses— ranging from harassment, red tagging, psychological warfare, encampment in civilian populace and intimidation— have earned them the ire of the masses. Despite being hated by Paquibato peasants and Lumads, and despite suffering from a high number of casualties, they continue to serve their corrupt and fascist masters in the AFP echelons and the landlord-bourgeois comprador class. Their blind allegiance to corrupt generals and superiors at the 10th ID-Eastern Mindanao Command only makes them more easy targets of the New People’s Army, people’s militia and the revolutionary movement.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20140926_npa-people-s-militia-launch-series-of-attritive-actions-against-69th-ib-in-davao

Jihadists’ contact in Mindanao named

From the Manila Times (Sep 27): Jihadists’ contact in Mindanao named

Amin Baco

A Malaysian terrorist believed to be a sympathizer of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and who may have been involved in several bombings in Mindanao is still in the country, a source from the intelligence service of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Saturday.

The intelligence officer who asked not to be identified the Malaysian as Amin Baco who also goes by the alias Abu Jihad. The officer provided The Manila Times a photo of Baco, who he said is a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

According to the source, Baco pledged allegiance to ISIS.

“Amin Baco or Abu Jihad is a JI member and he has been in the country for a long period,” the source, who goes by the codename “Pokemon,” said. He added that Baco had a hand in past bombings in Basilan and Sulu.

The officer also showed the Times a chart of the structure of the Khilafa Islamiyah Movement (KIM), which, like the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), pledged allegiance to ISIS.

He said Baco’s photo and the flow chart was extracted from the mobile phone of one of the ASG members killed during a recent battle with government security forces in Sulu.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier said reports on the recruitment of ISI members in the country is not verified.

“They are basically correct in saying that there’s no IS member that came from Syria who are presently here in the country. But the idea of establishing an Islamic caliphate is already here,” the source said.

He noted that Buco is one of the five JI members who had been hiding in Sulu under the protection of the ASG that last week threatened to behead one of two Germans they are holding if their demand for a P250 million ransom is not paid.

The intelligence officer said the ASG may behead the Germans —Stefan Victor Okonek, 70, and Herike Diesen, 55—as a show of sympathy to ISIS. Jihadists have beheaded American, British and French journalists in the past weeks.

“The ASG is a supporter of ISIS, they have already pledged allegiance to ISIS and they (ASG) are waiting for the reply. It could be that they threatened to behead the German hostages so they would be noticed,” he explained.

Meanwhile, local leaders urged Muslims not to join extremists groups amid reports that the influence of ISIS on local jihadist groups had grown.

“The practice of extremism is not allowed [in Islam]. Let us not join them,” Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu said, citing reports that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) has been influenced by the ISIS thus, some of the groups members pledged their allegiance or bai’ah to ISIS.

“They should not be extreme, God did not command [humans] to kill in order to gain peace in their religion,” the governor said.

He appealed to the public to immediately report to the authorities any activities of groups that had expressed sympathy to the ISIS.

An expert explained that bai’ah is mostly given by the Muslim sect Sufi and extremists groups including the JI.

“Many of the members [of JI] also felt psychologically trapped by the bai’ah that they have given to the leaders. They fear that by leaving the group or disobeying the orders, they have committed grave sin that will incur the wrath of God because the pledge that they made was in His name. They also fear being labeled as traitor or betrayer,” Muhammad Haniff Hassan, a famous Malaysian expert on counter ideology, said in his website.

Reports said that in Marawi City, the bai-ah was conducted inside the Masjid Islamic Center on September 19 by civilians. The event was reportedly organized by a Muslim cleric, Jamil “Mutawwa” Yahya.

After confirming the report, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. condemned the incident and vowed to prevent local groups from joining the armed movement.

The incident is still being investigated by the authorities, but a police officer who verified the report, members of the KIM were behind the gathering.

The KIM, also known as Khilafah Islamiyah Mindanao-Black Flag Movement, has been striving for the establishment of a Islamic caliphate in the country since 2011.

http://www.manilatimes.net/jihadists-contact-mindanao-named/130088/

GPH, MILF peace panels meet in KL today on ‘normalization’ issues

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 27): GPH, MILF peace panels meet in KL today on ‘normalization’ issues

Government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace negotiators are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today to discuss the implementation of the Annex on Normalization.

A highly reliable source privy to the talks told the Manila Bulletin the meeting may last two to three days depending on the progress of the discussion.

Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer will lead the GPH panel while her counterpart, Mohagher Iqbal will head the MILF panel.

The Normalization Annex – the fourth and last Annex of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) covers three main components: security, socio-economic development, and transitional justice and reconciliation.

An Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) will be created to recommend the appropriate policing in the Bangsamoro from the Philippine National Police.

The Annex will see the formation of transitional components like the Joint Normalization Commission (JNC), the Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC), and the Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPST) from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), PNP, and MILF’s military arm, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIAF) with the aim of preserving “peace and order and the stability of the areas mutually identified by the GPH and MILF.”  The  Joint Normalization (JNC) will coordinate the processes of normalization.

The panel is also expected to discuss the gradual decommissioning of the MILF combatants and their weapons.

OCT. 13 MEETING

Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will convene on October 13 in Manila the Bangsamoro Coordinating Forum (BCF) to be attended by representatives of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The 57-nation OIC formed the BCF as a venue for cooperation of the MNLF and the MILF to push the Mindanao peace process forward.

Syed El-Masry, a representative of the Egyptian government will preside over the BCF meeting, according to former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema of the MNLF-Sema faction.

El-Masry is the OIC’s special envoy to the Southern Philippines. Egypt leads the OIC’s Southern Philippines Peace Committee with Libya, Indonesia, Senegal, Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Somalia, Brunei and Saudi Arabia as facilitators.

The committee monitors the situation of Moro communities in areas covered by the Sept. 2, 1996 peace pact between the Philippine government and the MNLF.

“The MILF is an indispensable component of the BCF,” Sema said.

“We look forward to a good meeting, where we in the MNLF and our brothers in the MILF can possibly `harmonize” our diverse positions on how to solve this decades-old Mindanao Moro issue,” Sema said.

http://www.mb.com.ph/gph-milf-peace-panels-meet-in-kl-today-on-normalization-issues/

Gov't prepares to counter ISIS radicalization in Mindanao

From the Philippine Star (Sep 27): Gov't prepares to counter ISIS radicalization in Mindanao

Malacañang is working on measures to counter the possible radicalization threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Philippines particularly in Mindanao which is seen as a vulnerable target due to the presence of the Abu Sayyaf and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a peace adviser confirmed.

Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said at the sidelines of the Football for Peace Festival held at the ground of the Edwin Andrews Air Base that there are efforts from the government in curbing the plot of the ISIS to penetrate the country. The event involved children from the conflict areas to save them from being radicalized.

Lorena said the Anti-Terrorism Council, chaired by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, is carefully addressing the “road of radicalization" in Southeast Asia and Mindanao in particular.

Lorena said that authorities could not ascertain yet if the ISIS is already existing or how it grew in the country but there were already individuals who already committed or submitted their pledge to the terrorist group. However, there has been no proof yet of direct link.

“Our national security was verifying the road of the ISIS in our country. As of now there has been no proven fact or evidence to prove it. Although there was statement in effect. So that is being verified by our security sector,” Lorena said.

Lorena said there were already programs being laid on the ground to curb the threats of the ISIS penetrating the country, part of which is the involvement of the madaris (Islamic schools) to counter extremism, and foster reconciliation and healing process.

“Part of the program is the de-radicalization, we have office in the office of the president working on program of de-radicalization. We know about the influence and exploit of the extremists. Ang naging problema natin is not about the religion and culture, it is the case of extremism and moderation,” according to Lorena.

The deputy peace adviser said they will tap the moderate Islam believers and the academe in countering the extremists.

“Kasi itong mga extremists ang hindi umaayon doon sa banal na kasulatan. So kailangan i-engage hindi lang mga religious groups kung hindi mga academe,” Lorena said.

Lorena said that the Football for Peace Festival will also draw away the children from the lure of guns in the countryside, specially in areas known to have strong presence of the Abu Sayyaf and the BIFF.

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/09/27/1373836/govt-prepares-counter-isis-radicalization-mindanao

3 US warships arrive in PH

From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 28): 3 US warships arrive in PH

Three US warships are docked in Manila and Subic for rest and recreation activities as well as military exercise with their Filipino counterpart.

Warships for ‘war games’
(from top):  USS Peleliu,
USS Germantown,  and USS
Frank Cable.

On Saturday, the USS Peleliu (LHA 5) and USS Germantown (LSD 42) arrived in Subic, Zambales to participate in the bilateral annual military exercises called PHIBLEX 15 between the two navies of the Philippines and US.

Earlier, the USS Frank Cable (AS 40) arrived in Subic “to replenish supplies and give the crew an opportunity rest and relax.”

The Peleliu is an amphibious assault ship commanded by Capt. Paul Spedero with more than 1,100 sailors.  The Germantown, an amphibious dock landing ship commanded by Capt. Marvin Thompson, is manned by 350 sailors.

The Frank Cable is commanded by Capt. Mark B. Benjamin and crewed by approximately 500 sailors, 40 of whom are Filipino-Americans. The Frank Cable provides repairs and support to submarines.

“Both ships have elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is commanded by Col. Romin Dasmalchi and based out of Okinawa, Japan, and can have up to 2,200 Marines,” the statement released by the US Embassy in Manila said.

All the warships are under the US Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor, Guam.

The Philippine and US governments have in recent months signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) amid China’s aggressive forays into the West Philippines Sea.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/09/28/3-us-warships-arrive-in-ph/

Boston Marathon bombing prober gives Negros cops tips in probing bombings

From GMA News (Sep 27): Boston Marathon bombing prober gives Negros cops tips in probing bombings

One of the investigators of last year's Boston Marathon bombing has given police in Negros Occidental tips in investigating bombings, via a recent five-day training.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Daric Manser shared his expertise and skills in post-blast investigation with 47 Negros police personnel.

Manser is a bomb technician who used to be stationed at Los Angeles.

The training seeks to enhance the investigative capability of police officers, according to a report on Visayan Daily Star.

Initiated by the Philippine National Police's Bomb Data Center, the five-day training sought to give Negros policemen basic skills in post-blast investigations.

Acting PBDC head Superintendent William Senoron said the course will allow police to identify the kinds, components and signatures of explosives after bomb explosions.

“We are teaching our police officers how to reconstruct pieces of evidence recovered at the crime scene,” Senoron added.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/381109/news/regions/boston-marathon-bombing-prober-gives-negros-cops-tips-in-probing-bombings

Cops recover MNLF uniforms, firearm replica in Recodo

From the Zamboanga Today (Sep 26): Cops recover MNLF uniforms, firearm replica in Recodo

The Zamboanga City Public Safety Company (ZCPSC) led by Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca yesterday discovered some Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) uniforms and a replica M16 Rifle in an abandoned house at Vanex Compound, Purok 5, Barangay Recodo, this city.

Huesca said the discovery was a result of the intensified internal security operation (ISO) by ZCPSC in different areas in the city.

Huesca added that when the troops arrived in the area, several men hurriedly fled a house scampering to different direction upon seeing the approaching police team.

During ocular investigation, they found three camouflage uniforms with MNLF patches, a replica of M16 Armalite Rifle; three magazines; identification cards with names of Sahisa, Mudimar D. and Morsidi S. Sanisa, skeletal motorcycle and assorted parts, and illegal drugs paraphernalia.

The recovered items were brought to ZCPSC headquarters.

ZCPSC is continuing pursuit operations against lawless personalities and suspicious persons in the city.

The ZCPSC team tops the most number of confiscated firearms during their aggressive offensive operations on ISO campaign and random checkpoints.

http://www.zamboangatoday.ph/index.php/top-stories/18755-cops-recover-mnlf-uniforms-firearm-replica-in-recodo.html

Bureau issues red flag vs terror converts

From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 28): Bureau issues red flag vs terror converts

The Immigration Bureau has sought the assistance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ intelligence branch to provide the bureau  with specific identities of persons who are returning from travel overseas and are suspected to have joined the Islamic State group in Syria.

The BI’s request for assistance came a day after France raised a “vigilance alert” on 40 countries, including the Philippines, whose militant nationals may had been recruited by the IS jihadists.

Apart from the Philippines, the French foreign ministry’s ‘alert list’ also included Indonesia and Malaysia, Asian countries with large Muslim populations which may be vulnerable to ISIS enticement.

France raised the alert following the beheading of French national onal Herve Gourdel by ISIS militants in Algeria.

The United States, without naming any country, also said that at least 1,000 militants may have already joined the ISIS, based on its own intelligence report.

Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison  on Saturday requested assistance from the AFP for a list of specific identities of “persons of interest” so  his agents could intercept these people and prevent them from re-entering the various ports and air strips in the country.

“We have sought help from the intelligence agencies if they had specific identities of these people to kindly provide to us so that when we intercept them we know what to do,” Mison said.

Mison said the bureau would also coordinate with other spy agencies to do the same to be able to protect the country from potential international terrorist groups such as the ISIS.

Last July, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) claimed to have reportedly dispatched 200 of its warriors to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS rebels fighting in the two war-torn countries.

But the military and the police said that they have yet to established concrete evidence as to the veracity of reports of Filipinos who have  joined the ISIS.  At the same time, however, they ordered intelligence units to keep a tight watch on local militants who may seek to join the Islamic state group.

Mison said they have not raised a  red alert on the growing ISIS threat, but are giving special attention to passengers coming from certain countries.

The Malaysia government has  already raised an alert on its borders, particularly in Sabah which could be used as jumping board by potential ISIS recruits coming from Mindanao en route to Syria.

At present, Mison said the bureau is not monitoring any list of passengers as they have no basis to do it.

“That’s (list) what we need from the intelligence agencies,” Mison said.

He also underscored the need for a cohesive intelligence sharing of information among agencies tasked to monitor terror or threat groups which could pose security risk to the country.

“It’s really a matter of sharing of information so we can determine who are the threats and where are they coming from so the immigration would know what to do when these people lands at our ports,” Mison explained.

As this developed, a local executive in Basilan, a known haven of local Muslim terrorists and a breeding ground for militant recruits, requested for additional security  forces in his area to prevent terrorists from intruding remote areas and communities.

Unkaya Pukan Mayor Joel Maturan said the armed forces should provide more troops in his areas, which could serve as deterrent against militants, a day after he was informed of an allegedly ISIS-initiated meeting among young Muslims in a mosque on Basilan.

“We call on the military to put more soldiers and to install detachments in rural areas so that we can prevent militants from infiltrating us,” the mayor said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/09/28/bureau-issues-red-flag-vs-terror-converts/

‘Football for Peace’ tourney reels off

From the Sun Star-Zamboanga (Sep 28): ‘Football for Peace’ tourney reels off

WESTERN Mindanao Command (Westmincom) Chief Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero led the opening of the two-day “Football for Peace” tournament in Zamboanga City on Saturday.

Guerrero led the ceremonial kick-off of the football tournament, which is being held at the football field of the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) in this city.

Guerrero said the tournament, which ends Sunday, is being held in line with the observance of the Peace Month.

The tournament is aimed to promote character and skill development among children; and grant scholarships to qualified participants.

The participants include students aged eight to 18 from this city and Cagayan de Oro City and from the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The tournament is being held in collaboration with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process and Zamboanga Football Associations (Zafa), Marine Battalion Landing Team-Davao Region (MBLT-11) and Westmincom.

The holding of the “Football for Peace” tournament is the second time.
The first tournament was held on April 21, 2012 by the Philippine Marine Corps at the Bonifacio Naval Station Parade Ground.

The tournament received positive feedback from local communities.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2014/09/28/football-peace-tourney-reels-368012

Editorial: Why is Asia so quiet on the ISIS front?

Editorial from the Straits Times posted to the China Post (Sep 28): Editorial: Why is Asia so quiet on the ISIS front?

Asia's role in the battle against ISIS is increasingly coming into question as governments in the region continue to sit on the sidelines of the fight.

Not a single Southeast Asian country is part of the United States-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria militant group, and ASEAN has thus far been silent on it. China is also staying out of the fray despite concerted courting by Washington, with experts saying Beijing will not join the coalition because it sees greater advantage in being a passive bystander. Southeast Asian leaders who have spoken so far at the ongoing United Nations summit in New York — a meeting that has been dominated by the ISIS threat — have also largely steered clear of addressing the issue.  All this stands in stark contrast to how involved militants in the region have been in the ISIS saga so far. The Abu Sayyaf rebel group in the Philippines has threatened to kill two German hostages if Germany does not withdraw support for the U.S. campaign, and the Pentagon estimates that some 1,000 ISIS foreign fighters come from the Asia-Pacific.  Observers cite a variety of reasons for the Asian reticence — from pressing domestic issues to reluctance among leaders of some Muslim states to take actions that might spark retaliation from domestic radical groups. “The Asian states are preoccupied with so many thorny problems of their own, and they may be worried about retaliation by radical groups. The situation at home in several states is sensitive because of the Muslim populations,” said Professor Jerome Cohen from the Council on Foreign Relations.  Outgoing Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is cited as among those determined to stay on the sidelines. As the leader of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation and one with aspirations for regional leadership, he had raised hopes that his U.N. speech might articulate his country's stand on ISIS. Instead, experts felt, he gave a largely uninspiring speech focused on big power relations and ASEAN unity. “He continues to be insecure about how he is portrayed by the small but vocal extremist community back home, some — though not all — who are sympathetic to ISIS,” said Dr. Joseph Liow, the Lee Kuan Yew chair in South-east Asia Studies at New York-based think tank Brookings Institution.  He adds that many Southeast Asian states might also be taking a wait-and-see approach to the U.S. possibly being drawn back into another eventual quagmire. “After what happened with Iraq, I suppose their caution is understandable,” he said.  As for China, while its interests as a major importer of Iraqi oil and a declared target of the radical group are closely aligned with Washington's, China will not join the coalition as it suits its purpose better to stay out of the fray, say experts. “China does not want to alienate the radical anti-Western groups in the region, and it also is not unhappy to see the U.S. failing to get a clean retreat from the region,” said Professor Joseph Cheng from the City University of Hong Kong. “If the U.S. can withdraw completely from the Middle East as it wanted to, it can deploy more of its resources to the Asia Pacific to rebalance the rise of China.” Still, China has taken a supportive tone toward the U.S.' anti-ISIS efforts. Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday voted in favor of a U.S.-sponsored resolution to bind countries to stop their citizens from going abroad to join terrorist groups.This is an editorial published by The Straits Times on Sept. 27
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/commentary/the-china-post/special-to-the-china-post/2014/09/28/418176/Why-is.htm

Gov’t, MILF working vs Islamic State threat

From the Philippine Star (Sep 28): Gov’t, MILF working vs Islamic State threat



 The government is working with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other groups to contain the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS), as reports said the group was gaining sympathizers and expanding recruitment in Southeast Asia.

As President Aquino had stated, the threat was being taken seriously, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday.

She said that apart from the MILF, “we have a lot of Muslim brothers who do not want these kinds of elements in Mindanao” and are cooperating with the government to prevent the spread of the IS threat.

Undersecretary Jose Lorena of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa is carefully addressing the “road” of radicalization in Southeast Asia and southern Philippines in particular.

Lorena said authorities could not ascertain yet if there is an existing connection with the IS in the country even as several groups and individuals were known to have committed to the extremists.

“Although there were statements in effect. So that is being verified by our security sector,” he said.

Lorena said there were already programs being laid on the ground to curb the threats of the IS penetrating the country.

Part of the program is the involvement of the madaris (Islamic schools) to counter extremism and promote reconciliation and healing.

“Part of the program is the de-radicalization, we have in the Office of the President (people) working on program of de-radicalization. We know about the influence and exploits of the extremists. The problem is not about religion and culture, it is the case of extremism and moderation,” Lorena said.

Lorena added they will tap the moderate Islam believers and academe in countering the influence of the extremists.

The Philippines had been cited as one of 40 nations on a widened “vigilance alert” raised by the French foreign ministry as a US senior military officer reported that about 1,000 volunteers from the Asia-Pacific region had sought to join the IS.

France raised the “vigilance alert” as part of its security measures following the beheading of French national Herve Gourdel by IS militants in Algeria.
Aside from the Philippines, France also placed on its alert list Malaysia and Indonesia, Asian countries that have large Muslim populations.

The Abu Sayyaf, tagged as a “foreign terrorist” group by the US, had threatened to kill one of two German hostages unless a ransom was paid and Berlin withdrew its support of a US-led air strike on the IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, in those countries.

The Philippine government had said Abu Sayyaf has no genuine connection to the IS jihadists and was merely trying to cash in by proclaiming allegiance to the group as it continued to downplay reports of ISIS recruitment in the country.

Aquino said in New York that the government was ready to work with the US to stop the IS from carrying out plans to sow terror especially during the visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines in January of next year.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/09/28/1374030/govt-milf-working-vs-islamic-state-threat

Government taking Islamic State seriously

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 28): Government taking Islamic State seriously

The government isn’t taking lightly the threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) to the Philippines, Malacañang said on Saturday.

So far, the military has maintained that IS has no direct ties with the Abu Sayyaf, which has threatened to behead one of two German hostages it is holding by Oct. 10 unless Germany withdraws its support for a US-led air campaign against the jihadist group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and beheaded Western hostages.

If at all, the Abu Sayyaf bandits are sympathizers of IS, joining the bandwagon to gain popular support, according to Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Even so, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Saturday, the authorities have been alerted to the possible entry of IS operatives into the Philippines, especially through the southern islands where the Abu Sayyaf operates.

Help from MILF

Speaking on government-run radio, Valte said the government was tapping the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a peace agreement with the government, and civilians to gather and share information to foil the entry of fighters from IS, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

“[W]e assure you that we do not take it lightly. We don’t wish to be dealing with another problem, and another trouble,” Valte said.

“The good thing about this is, we’re getting help from our Muslim brothers to ensure that none of these elements [will be able to] slip into the country,” she added.

Valte said the government would verify with the military reports that France had raised its “vigilance alert” against IS to 40 countries with Muslim populations, including the Philippines.

France reportedly raised the vigilance alert after IS-linked militants beheaded French national Herve Gourdel in Algeria on Thursday.

Tighter entry procedures

The Bureau of Immigration has also tightened entry procedures for foreigners coming from the Middle East and Africa following reports that IS is recruiting fighters in Asia.

“We are not on red alert status, but we are paying careful attention to them,” Immigration Commissioner Siegfrid Mison said in a television interview on Saturday, referring to possible IS recruiters.

By “careful attention,” Mison said he meant the travel histories and plans of the passengers coming from troubled places in the Middle East and Africa would be thoroughly examined by immigration officers.

In case of doubt, he said, a traveler will be referred to a “secondary inspection,” meaning closer interrogation.

“There will be more questions and it may take more time than usual,” Mison said.

Mison said the immigration bureau had contacted international organizations to obtain a list of people associated with IS.

Swearing loyalty to IS

An Abu Sayyaf group led by Isnilon Hapilon swore allegiance to IS on YouTube in July, the latest sign, according to a report released by a security group last week, that the Middle East jihadist group’s brand of radicalism is winning recruits in Asia and posing a growing security risk in the region.

But National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia said on Saturday that Hapilon’s pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State was a “shallow show of support” for IS, riding on the popularity of the Middle East group in the international jihadi community.

“We have no reports of other factions doing the same,” Garcia said in a text message to the Inquirer.

According to Garcia, the Abu Sayyaf is not a “monolithic group,” as it is composed of several subgroups that have either “religious or ideological moorings” or criminal inclinations.

“We don’t think there is an organizational link between [IS] and [the Abu Sayyaf], or any Philippine terrorist [or] jihadi group for that matter,” he said.

“What is possible, however, is that through social [media], individual jihadists in the Philippines are in touch with jihadists elsewhere, some of whom may belong to any of the affiliates of al-Qaida or even [Islamic State],” he added.

Asian recruits

Security officials believe that more than 100 people from Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority countries of Indonesia and Malaysia and from the southern Philippines have gone to join Islamic State’s fight in Iraq and Syria.

According to the security report, Malaysian and Indonesian militants have discussed forming a 100-strong, Malay-speaking unit within Islamic State in Syria.

On Thursday, Adm. Samuel Locklear, who heads the US Armed Forces’ Pacific Command, said around 1,000 recruits from India to the Pacific may have joined Islamic State to fight in Syria or Iraq. But he did not specify the countries or give a time frame.

“That number could get larger as we go forward,” Locklear told reporters at the Pentagon.

In addition to India, the Hawaii-based Pacific Command’s area of responsibility covers 36 countries, including Australia, China and other Pacific Ocean states. The command does not cover Pakistan.

In the region, security analysts say, thousands have sworn oaths of loyalty to IS as local militant groups capitalize on a brand that has been fueled by violent online videos and calls to jihad through social media. Security officials say this has disturbing implications for the region, especially when battle-hardened fighters return home from the Middle East.

No negotiations

The Abu Sayyaf group that threatened to kill a German hostage unless Germany withdraws its support for the US-led coalition bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq is led by one-armed septuagenarian Radullan Sahiron.

Sahiron’s group is also demanding $5.6 million in ransom for the two German hostages, whom the bandits seized from a yacht in the West Philippine Sea in April.

But the government has refused to step in, with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin saying “the government does not negotiate with terrorists.”

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/111749/govt-taking-islamic-state-seriously

Islamic State 'brand' gains ground among Asian militants

Posted to InterAksyon (Sep 27): Islamic State 'brand' gains ground among Asian militants



A threat by Philippine militants to kill a German hostage in a show of solidarity with Islamic State is the latest sign that the Middle East group's brand of radicalism is winning recruits in Asia and posing a growing security risk in the region.

Over 100 people from Southeast Asia's Muslim majority countries of Indonesia and Malaysia and the southern Philippine region are believed by security officials and analysts to have gone to join Islamic State's fight in Iraq and Syria. Malaysian and Indonesian militants have discussed forming a 100-strong Malay-speaking unit within Islamic State in Syria, according to a report from a well-known security group released this week.

Admiral Samuel Locklear, who heads the US Armed Forces' Pacific Command, said on Thursday around 1,000 recruits from India to the Pacific may have joined Islamic State to fight in Syria or Iraq. He did not specify the countries or give a timeframe.

"That number could get larger as we go forward," Locklear told reporters at the Pentagon. In addition to India, the Hawaii-based Pacific Command's area of responsibility covers 36 countries, including Australia, China and other Pacific Ocean states. The command does not cover Pakistan.

In the region, thousands have sworn oaths of loyalty to Islamic State as local militant groups capitalise on a brand that has been fuelled by violent online videos and calls to jihad through social media, security analysts say. Security officials say this has disturbing implications for the region, especially when battle-hardened fighters return home from the Middle East.

The Philippines' Abu Sayyaf group, which has earlier claimed links with al Qaeda and is led by a one-armed septuagenarian, has threatened to kill one of the two Germans it holds hostage by October 10, according to messages distributed on Twitter.

As well as $5.6 million in ransom, the group demanded that Germany halt its support for the US-led bombing campaign launched against Islamic State this week.

A spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry told a regular press briefing in Berlin that "threats are no appropriate way of influencing German foreign policy," and that the ministry's crisis group was working on the case.

The Abu Sayyaf, which beheaded a US man it had taken hostage in 2001, has suffered from dwindling support and military setbacks over the past decade, and is now believed to have only about 300 followers based on remote islands off the southern Philippines.

Oath of loyalty

Security officials doubt it has any links with Islamic State beyond pledging allegiance to the Middle Eastern group, and see it as a move by Abu Sayyaf to revive its fortunes and gain publicity. A senior leader of the group and several other members made an oath of loyalty to Islamic State in a video uploaded on YouTube in July, Philippines police and monitoring services have said.

"We believe that there is no direct link, that they are possibly sympathizers joining in the bandwagon to gain popular support," said Armed Forces of the Philippines public information officer Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, a military spokesman. "We see this as a way to be known, because right now the Abu Sayyaf is in a decline. To directly say that ISIS (Islamic State) is here -- there are no indications of that."

The German man and woman, who were reportedly seized from a yacht in the South China Sea in April, are thought to be held on Jolo by Abu Sayyaf fighters loyal to one-armed Radullan Sahiron. His group is also believed to be holding a Dutch and a Swiss hostage seized in May 2012 and a Japanese man.

The three governments have declined comment on the abductions.

Another Abu Sayyaf leader, Isnilon Hapilon, swore allegiance to Islamic State in the Youtube video, police officials and the monitoring services said. Speaking in Arabic, he and several other men read a statement swearing “loyalty and obedience in adversity and comfort” to Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before a prayer and shouts of Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), they said.

Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for an independent Islamic state but it has mainly been a kidnap-for-ransom gang operating in the lawless interiors of southern Philippines islands. The Philippines is mostly Christian but has a significant Muslim minority in the southern islands.

The region is the site of a long drawn-out rebellion by local Muslims against Manila's rule, but Abu Sayyaf burst into prominence in 2000 after kidnapping 21 tourists and workers from a dive resort in nearby Malaysia.

They held the hostages, who included French, German, Finnish and South African nationals, for months on Jolo before freeing them for millions of dollars in ransom paid by then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, according to Philippine officials. Libya denied it paid a ransom but acknowledged government officials were involved in negotiations. Several of the hostages visited Tripoli after their release.

Abu Sayyaf is blamed for the worst militant attack in the Philippines, the sinking of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 in which 100 people were killed. But the group has declined in recent years, with top leaders either killed or too old.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/96235/islamic-state-brand-gains-ground-among-asian-militants

Intelligence source IDs suspected Malaysian ISIS supporter

From InterAksyon (Sep 27): Intelligence source IDs suspected Malaysian ISIS supporter



Pokemon's handout photo of person purported to be Amin Baco (Abu Jihad).

A source from the military intelligence community identified over the weekend a Malaysian member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as one of the alleged ardent local-based sympathizers of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

ISIS has seized control of huge territories in the Middle East.

The Manila-based intelligence source, who uses the code name "Pokemon" identified the suspected person as Amin Baco.

"The Malaysian Amin Baco or Abu Jihad has been in the country for a long period," Pokemon said, adding that this same person "had been involved in past bombing incidents in Basilan and Sulu."

Pokemon showed a photo of Baco or Abu Jihad and a flow chart of the structure of the Al Khilafa Movement (KIM), along with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which has reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS.

Aside from ASG and KIM, another militant group that has allegedly pledged support to ISIS is the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The same source said Khilafa is an Arabic word, which translates in English to mean Caliphate, in which everybody is considered under the Islamic Jurisprudence perspective in their worldly benefits and interest.

Pokemon said Abu Jihad’s photo, as well as the flow chart, was extracted from the mobile phone of an ASG member recently killed in the fighting with government security forces in Sulu.

In the photograph, Abu Jihad can be seen holding a pistol on his right hand and a dagger on his left hand, with a black flag on the background and Arabic markingss and a black shirt brandishing the words "I love Islam."

Pokemon added that government security agencies "are basically correct in saying that there's no IS member from Syria who is presently here in the country, but the idea of establishing an Islamic caliphate is already here."

He added that Amin Buco (Abu Jihad) is one of five JI members believed to be hiding under the protection of the ASG, which recently threatened to decapitate one of two German tourists that the group had been holding hostage since end of April.

Pokemon said that the ASG "might" carry out the threat to kill the Germans as a show of sympathy to the ISIS organization that has already beheaded an American, British and French journalists in the past weeks.

The beheading of the three news reporters was apparently the ISIS reprisal against the US, France and Britain, that have launched counter-airstrikes.

"The ASG is a known supporter of ISIS. They could have already pledged allegiance to ISIS, and one reason they decided to threaten the German hostages is so that they would be noticed,” Pokemon said.

Being held hostage by the ASG are Stefan Victor Okonek, 70 and Herike Diesen 55. They were seized by heavily armed gunmen on April 30 this year while sailing off the southern portion of Palawan.

The two were taken away by heavily armed ASG bandits while on their way to Sabah, Malaysia from Palawan in late April this year.

Last month, Pokemon shared a photograph of the two foreigners being surrounded by heavily armed members of the ASG with the two hostages holding a German flag.

Last Friday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Information Officer, Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, told defense reporters that there is no validated information received so far about any ongoing recruitment by ISIS in the Philippines.

"We consider information as accurate only if it is validated. So far, there have been no reports or names of Filipinos revealed to be in the Middle East fighting for ISIS. Nor is there any indication of recruitment activity here in the Philippines," Zagala had said.

Zagala added that the military "will coordinate, if need be, with all sources so that the information on ISIS recruitment could be processed and validated."

The latest to confirm the alleged recruitment efforts of ISIS was Mayor Joel Maturan of Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan, a bailiwick of the Abu Sayyaf.

Davao City Mayor Eduardo Duterte also earlier said there were Muslim fighters recruited from his city who left for the Middle East in July, ostensibly to fight under the jihadist banner.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said of the report of Mayor Maturan: "We have not had any confirmation on this."

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/96244/intelligence-source-ids-suspected-malaysian-isis-supporter