North Sulawesi police chief Brig. Gen. Jon Lalo passed on relevant information to Southern Mindanao police officials during a closed-door meeting last Thursday, a highly reliable source told The STAR.
Lalo gave the authorities photographs of the Indonesian nationals who established terrorist cells in the country, along with the rebel groups Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
He reportedly also passed on sensitive information the police deemed very helpful in monitoring the activities of the JI members, believed to have been led by a Filipino Muslim separatist leader identified only as "Commander Benjie."
"Benjie" is reportedly the one overseeing the activities of these terrorist cells, aside from having trained most of the JI members who came to Mindanao.
The source, however, refused to divulge other details of the information Lalo turned over to the police.
"As long as Commander Benjie is still there, he takes charge of the operations of this group in Mindanao (and) the bombings will continue," Lalo said earlier.
Sources said Commander Benjie, in his 30s, might have assumed other names by now.
The JI members reportedly remained even after they finished training in the main enclaves of the MILF at Camp Abubakar in Parang, Maguindanao and at Buliok complex in Pikit, North Cotabato.
Earlier reports said close to 300 JI members were reported to have remained in the country after undergoing training with the MILF.
The same group of JI members, allegedly comprising part of the MILF’s urban terrorist cell, are also believed responsible for the spate of nearly 30 bombings and other attacks in Mindanao since January, including the twin bombings that hit Davao International Airport and the Sasa wharf here, killing 38 people and wounding more than 200 others.
The information provided by Lalo prompted police and military intelligence officials to intensify their search for the 10 Indonesians and two Pakistanis tasked to carry out the bombing missions.
The Bureau of Immigration first provided the information on the presence of these 12 foreigners in the country.
Lalo, who heads a 13-man delegation, arrived here Thursday for a five-day visit that includes talks on security with local police officials and a side trip to General Santos City before returning to Manado tomorrow.
Lalo’s visit was also aimed at establishing closer relations between the East Indonesian police force and their counterparts in southern Mindanao.
Officials of the two police forces also discussed transnational crimes other than terrorism, which shall be included in a formal agreement on information gathering and intelligence sharing they are set to sign later this year.
Armed Forces Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Roy Kyamko, for his part, said that intelligence operatives and ground troops in Mindanao are double-checking reports on the presence of these 12 foreign nationals in south central Mindanao.
"There is nothing concrete yet on the veracity of the report. If they are proven to be involved in terrorist bombings, we have to bring them to justice, too," he said.
Kyamko added that they are taking every piece of information seriously to avert any terror plots "or if not, neutralize the group the soonest possible time."
Reports reaching Malacañang said that the military is taking the report seriously — the government believes that embedded terrorist cells operating in the country have already been disbanded as a result of the military’s ongoing punitive action in Mindanao.
In a related development, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported that the government has stopped relief operations in Region 10 because most of the evacuees from Lanao del Norte are now staying in safe areas.
More than 18,000 people fled their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the MILF and the military, which conducted aerial and ground assaults to destroy the rebels’ lairs.
A total of 130 people from Barangay Mantibo fled their homes but are now staying with relatives in other barangays, the DSWD said.
Earlier, presidential chief of staff Rigoberto Tiglao said there were intelligence reports that disbanded members of the MILF are planning another series of bombing attacks in Mindanao.
Suspected JI member Amrozi, who was captured and detained in Indonesia, said there are 13 JI members tasked with conducting attacks against Western targets in Southeast Asia, including countries that have strong ties with the United States government.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte also warned of terrorist groups who have been busy making bombs these days.
"There are reports they are out somewhere making bombs. That is why our military and police authorities are hot on their trail," he said.
The suicide bombings reportedly formed part of earlier warnings issued by Western countries’ intelligence services, indicating that terror cells of the al-Qaeda — of which JI is reportedly a member — are about to launch more attacks in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
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 that killed 202 people last Oct. 12.
This group has also been reported to be linked with the local rebel groups Abu Sayyaf and the MILF.
There were also intelligence reports linking JI to the deposed regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Joint military and police intelligence operations are underway to check on the alleged JI members’ whereabouts.
The concern of Asia-Pacific countries over al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups was reportedly among the issues discussed during the recent 39-nation conference on human trafficking and transnational crime held in the resort island of Bali in Indonesia.
Ople said participating countries drew up measures and signed bilateral and multilateral agreements to counter terrorism and other transnational crimes.
There is a need to review and amend agreements on joint border patrols between the Philippines and Indonesia following reports that JI members have entered Mindanao through the "backdoor," he added.
Security experts believe that militant Islamic groups are mounting a fresh worldwide campaign, and targets in Southeast Asia are almost certainly on terror groups’ attack plans for the coming months.
The JI and Laskar Jundullah, another Asian-based terror group, are poised to wreak havoc throughout the region, the experts said.
The bombing of two Bali nightclubs was seen as a horrifying wake-up call for Asian authorities to the threat of terrorism in the region.
JI, an organization considered by the US as al-Qaeda’s de facto Asian wing, has been blamed for the attacks. The first trials of the suspected bombers have just begun in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
But terrorism experts say that even if the suspects are found guilty and executed, it will not spell the end of JI because there are still hundreds of JI cells in Indonesia, and only the cell in Bali was dismantled after the Bali bombings.
Recent suicide bomb attacks that left dozens dead in Morocco and Saudi Arabia have been characterized by observers as proof the worldwide war on terror is having little impact on groups such as al-Qaeda and JI.
Analysts say that with al-Qaeda’s capability hampered by recent arrests, it is unable to pull off strikes as big as those in the US on Sept. 11, 2001.
They will concentrate, instead, on easier "soft-targets" like nightclubs, bars and other public gatherings.
Similar to last week’s attacks, they are likely to take the form of suicide blasts, car bombs and rocket attacks — possibly on commercial aircraft.
As for the targets, they are unlikely to be confined to Western facilities. Experts say that moderate Muslim nations who do not take a more hardline stance against the West may also be targets — Bali and Casablanca are located in moderate Islamic countries. — With reports from Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde, Mayen Jaymalin