GMA vows to rid RP of Jemaah Islamiyah

President Arroyo yesterday vowed to dismantle all known terror cells of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the country.

Arroyo renewed the Philippine commitment to stamp out terrorist cells in the country, citing the menace of international terrorism as the primary concern of the global community, notwithstanding the new threat posed by the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.

She earlier noted with concern the documented links of bandit group Abu Sayyaf with the JI.

The JI is a regional Islamic group linked by Western intelligence agencies to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network that carried out the deadly bombings in Bali, Indonesia which killed 202 people last October.

There were also intelligence reports linking JI to the deposed regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Mrs. Arroyo, however, expressed optimism on the impact of the "victory" of US-led coalition forces in the war in Iraq which she said "has neutralized terrorist hubs operating transnationally."

"All these linkages among terrorist groups have long been established and documented and some of these linkages are embedded in our own territory," Arroyo said before the Command Conference of the League of Barangays in the Philippines held at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City.

Mrs. Arroyo had just arrived from Bangkok, Thailand after attending the special anti-SARS summit of Asean-China.