‘No links between MILF, JI found’

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government investigators have not found any evidence linking the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with the Indonesia-based terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.

"There is no conclusive evidence that the entire organization is behind or has links (to JI)," said Brig. Gen. Alexander Yano, of the government Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) chief.

"There is none so far (indication of links with JI), although this has been a nagging question and has always been brought up in our regular meeting with the MILF counterpart."

Speaking to reporters at the Armed Forces Southern Command headquarters here, Yano said his men have not found any trace of al-Qaeda-linked terrorists when they inspected MILF camps in Central Mindanao upon the invitation of the rebels.

"To show openness, the MILF gave us access to areas where there are reports they have links or some groups have links with the international terror group," he said.

The MILF’s action is a "bright sign that it is not coddling any JI terrorist," he added.

However, Yano said there have been instances when individual MILF members have been linked with the JI.

His men are set to inspect — along with an MILF team — Mt. Cararao, "the symbol of the MILF’s alleged links with the JI," he added.

Yano said they have agreed with the MILF ceasefire committee led by Benjie Midtimbang to visit Mt. Cararao in Maguindanao early next month.

However, he said the visit will be postponed because of the coming Ramadan feast and the arrival of the international monitoring team (IMT)from Malaysia.

"We don’t have much time to do it next month," he said. "It is not possible (to) squeeze it between the arrival of the main monitoring team and Ramadan."

The advance administrative and logistics team (ALT) headed by a Malaysian had just inspected Zamboanga City and other cities in Mindanao, he added.

Yano said the nine-member advance team — which will pave the way for a larger team of observers — had also attended a ceasefire meeting in General Santos City.

Among the areas the team visited were Davao City, General Santos City, Cotabato City, and Zamboanga City, he added.

Peace talks between the government and the MILF are set to resume in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next month.

The JI is blamed for a series of terrorist bombings in the region, including the 2002 terrorist attack in Bali, Indonesia, and the bombing outside the Australian embassy that left nine dead in Jakarta earlier this month. — Roel Pareño