PH anti-terror center eyes real-time response to attacks

From the Manila Times (Nov 25, 2019): PH anti-terror center eyes real-time response to attacks

A counter-terrorism center being established in the Philippines is envisioned to be able to respond to terrorist attacks in real time.

Nathan Sales, the ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counter-terrorism of the United States Department of State, recently said the regional counter-terrorism center being built in Silang, Cavite, would “foster connectivity among all nations of the region that have a shared interest in confronting our terrorist adversaries.”

“So, we see this center, which will be based here in the Philippines, as a way to encourage cooperation not only between the United States and Manila, but between all regional players who have an interest in this as well,” Sales said during a telephone news conference last Friday.

He added that the center would also be focused on training on tactical responses to terroristic attacks “in real time” to prevent damage to lives and property.

In August, US Deputy Chief of Mission John Law and then-Philippine National Police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde signed a memorandum of understanding to construct and operate the counter-terrorism center on the grounds of the Philippine National Police Academy in Silang.

As part of boosting counter-terrorism efforts in the region, Sales suggested that prosecutorial responses be enforced for accountability of persons committing terrorism-related crimes.

A “whole-of-government” approach is being used by Washington in addressing terrorism issues in the Philippines and other countries within the Southeast Asian region.

This means that terrorists should be dealt with by using “kinetic options,” which Sales said were used by Philippine authorities during the five-month-siege in Marawi City in 2017, when the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute group attacked the city, the capital of Lanao del Sur province in southern Mindanao.

According to Sales, the whole-of-government approach also means “using things” such as increasing the strength of border security in the region, law enforcement tools and efforts to counter financing of terrorists by foreign sponsors.

To cut down the financial sources of terrorists, mostly members of the IS, he said Washington was zeroing in on terrorist designations and sanctions.

“When we put terrorist organizations on our sanctions list, that cuts off the flow of money that these groups, that these individuals, can use,” Sales explained.

This, however, excludes terrorists and their facilitators “from the legitimate international banking system, because banks take care to ensure that they are themselves not subject to secondary sanctions in the US or from other authorities that have matched our sanctions,” he said.

Sales pointed out that terrorists are raising money through various means, including narcotics trafficking and human smuggling.

“So, when we talk about sanctions, it’s important to understand that we’re not just sanctioning al-Qaeda, we’re also sanctioning facilitators who operate in the shadows for al-Qaeda, as well as front companies or charities that abuse the goodwill of their customers or donors to channel money to bad groups,” he said.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/11/25/news/top-stories/ph-anti-terror-center-eyes-real-time-response-to-attacks/658532/