AFP cannot validate WikiLeaks report

MANILA, Philippines - The military yesterday said it has no information that could validate a WikiLeaks report which had stated that some Saudi nationals have provided funds to groups that have ties with terrorist cell al- Qaeda.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the reports, allegedly based on US embassy cables, are unverified.

“We would like to reiterate that we do not really glorify reports from WikiLeaks. These are unverified, unconfirmed reports,” Burgos said in a press conference.

Burgos, nevertheless, said the security forces are gathering intelligence information about possible supporters of terrorist groups.

“The most important thing is we are continuously preparing for any eventuality... The intelligence community is working and prepared to preempt any terrorist act,” Burgos said.

“We share intelligence information with law enforcement agencies. What is important is prevention,” he added.

Burgos said they also do not have confirmed reports about the Islamic non-government organizations (NGOs) which are being used by terrorists to sustain their operations.

“We do not have information regarding that. What we have established is the link of Jemaah Islamiyah with the Abu Sayyaf group,” he said.

Burgos claimed that the strength of Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines is on a decline as 43 of its key leaders have fallen since the year 2000.

A cable dated May 23, 2005 and attributed to the US embassy alleged that the terrorists received funding support through donations to Muslim groups, orphanages and mosques.

“The tendency throughout Muslim communities in Mindanao to accept all Islamic charity and missionary activities with no questions asked contributes to the problem,” the cable read.

“Many extremist proponents and terrorist operatives evade immigration controls, remaining in difficult-to-police areas such as the isolated interior of central Mindanao,” it added.

The report said the funding for terrorists flow using couriers and other difficult-to-trace transactions that take place outside the formal banking system.

The cable said NGOs in the Philippines “have been used as cover for illicit activity in the past.”

It cited the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO), which was said to be operated by Saudi businessman Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, reportedly a brother of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

“The IIRO served as a legal front to conceal the transfer of al-Qaeda funding and materiel to the Abu Sayyaf Group and possibly other insurgents or terrorists operating in the Philippines,” the cable read.

“Although Khalifa left the Philippines in 1994 and the IIRO was shut down, there remain concerns that his network and associates may still be operating here,” it added.

The Abu Sayyaf is a local terrorist group based in Mindanao that has links with the international terror cell al-Qaeda. The group, which was tagged in numerous kidnapping and bombing incidents, has about 400 members.

The US embassy reportedly called for vigilance given the inadequate safeguards on the activities of NGO.

“The loose nature of NGO regulation and the absence of effective safeguards allow for suspect activity.... Inadequate financial, immigration, and border controls also enable suspected terrorists and their funds to move through the Philippines with relative impunity,” the cable read.