US-trained troops to hunt down Jemaah Islamiyah

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Filipino soldiers being trained by US Special Forces will be deployed to hunt down Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants in Mindanao, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Narciso Abaya said.

Abaya said a company of Filipino soldiers, currently completing training with US forces in this city, will soon be sent to central Mindanao where JI members are believed to be hiding.

He said the US-trained troops would be instrumental in pursuing the JI in Mindanao just as US-trained troops played a key role in hunting down members of the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda-linked Muslim group based on the island of Basilan.

"Just like the (last US-Philippine collaboration) where we successfully flushed out the Abu Sayyaf, we will also use this counterterrorism to flush out the ranks of the Jemaah Islamiyah," said Abaya at a ceremony late Thursday.

He watched as about 100 Filipino troops, backed by US instructors, staged a mock assault on a fortified position, simulating an attack on rebel positions.

The AFP chief talked later with the soldiers after the mock assault exercise directing them to take the training seriously to protect themselves against an equally well-trained adversary.

"You have to take advantage of the training seriously to enhance your capability as this will protect you in the long run because the terrorists out there are also highly trained and skilled fighters," Abaya said.

The US troops have been training a company of about 120 Filipino soldiers for the past month and will then train another company until more than 1,000 troops have gone through the program.

All these soldiers will then be redeployed back to central Mindanao where about 30 JI members, mostly Indonesians, are believed to be hiding in camps of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The MILF has signed a ceasefire with the Philippine government to negotiate for peace but defense officials said hardline MILF commanders have allowed JI militants to train in their camps.

Abaya revealed persistent reports of some 30 JI militants, mostly Indonesians, training clandestinely in the remote jungles of central Mindanao.

But Abaya did not say how the US-trained troops could be used against JI militants without violating the ceasefire.

On the other hand, the MILF said the Philippine government should be blamed for the lax security in the country’s backdoor which made it easy for JI militants to enter unnoticed.

"Don’t point a finger at us and don’t blame us. The problem is with government not being able to properly secure the border waters between Indonesia and Mindanao. So, what do you expect? These JI members easily enter through the southern backdoors," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told The STAR.

At the same time, Kabalu took exception to a recent US report tagging the Philippines, particularly Mindanao region, as a terrorist haven.

"It is not a fair statement," the MILF spokesman said. "Do you think Mindanao is a terrorist haven? If it were true, then there would be no business going on in the place." — Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado, AFP