When this sort of thing happened in the Philippines back before September 2001 no one cared or noticed. Does the West care now?
8 dead in suspected Manila mall bomb
An explosion rocked a Manila shopping mall on Friday in a suspected bomb attack, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens more, police and Red Cross officials said.
Red Cross records showed that 89 more were injured in the explosion at the Glorietta shopping centre in metropolitan Manila's financial district of Makati.
Initial police reports said the blast could have been triggered by a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tank in one of the restaurants inside the Glorietta shopping centre but investigators began to consider a bombing after surveying the damage.
Randy Naive, who suffered deep cuts on his arms and hands from broken glass, said he was just thankful that he was able to survive the blast.
Naive said he was on the way out of the mall after window shopping when the explosion occurred.
"A few steps after I got down from the escalator, there was a deafening explosion," he said. "Then it went very dark. There was smoke, very thick smoke and I was choking."
Naive said he was lucky he felt water running from where he sat and he washed off his face to avoid choking.
"After a few minutes of darkness, I saw a light. I moved toward it slowly. I heard cries behind me but I continued moving toward the light because I could feel my arm bleeding profusely," he added. "I called for help and I saw people moving toward me."
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to evaluate the incident.
Arroyo appealed for unity in sobriety in the light of the recent incident, noting that there were indications that the explosion was caused by a bomb.
"The police and the armed forces are on highest alert and are fielding an additional 2,000 personnel to secure our public place and to prevent possible similar occurrence," she said in a statement.
"We urge all sectors to remain vigilant as the government steps up security measures to protect our people," she added.
Deputy Director General Geary Barias, chief of the police in the Philippine capital, admitted the damage from the explosion was too extensive for an LPG blast.
"Earlier I told the media that the cause of the explosion was supposed to be an LPG," he said. "This time we are not discounting the possibility of anything."
Barias said he ordered the setting up of checkpoints in key areas. He also directed the deployment of additional police forces in shopping malls and vital installations.
Police Director General Avelino Razon, who also visited the explosion area, said he was sure that the blast was not caused by LPG.
"From the destruction that I saw, this wasn't caused by an LPG," he said. "This was a bomb, but beyond that I cannot say anything because this is still being investigated."
Alfie Reyes, spokesman for the Ayala Land Corporation which operates the mall, said it was unlikely the explosion could have occurred in one of the restaurants in the area.
"At this time we are not in a position to tell you exactly what type of explosion occurred," he said. "It does not appear at the moment that (the explosion) could have emanated from any of the restaurants."
Makati City Councillor JonJon Binay who led the rescue operations said the explosion produced a crater about eight metres wide, while the sunroof of the mall was also blown off.
Part of the walkway leading to the mall was also destroyed and debris was strewn around in the vicinity of the blast area.
Showing posts with label Abu Sayyaf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abu Sayyaf. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Malaysia Threatens to Pull Out Monitors
Someone please tell the increasingly pompus and self-righteous Islamic busy-body known as Malaysia to take a hike. Why the Pinoys even waste their time "talking" to the MILF after all this time is a mystery. Just defeat them and be done with it.
Malaysia may pull peace monitors from Philippines
Malaysia has threatened to withdraw monitors overseeing a four-year ceasefire between the Philippine army and the country's biggest Muslim separatist guerrilla group because of delays in peace talks, sources said on Tuesday.
Tension has risen lately between the army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with both sides accusing the other of breaking the truce during a skirmish on the island of Basilan last week.
On Tuesday, at least four Navy commandos and six rebels died in another firefight on Basilan, as Philippine troops pursued the Abu Sayyaf group, which has close links with the MILF.
A resumption in peace talks, scheduled to take place in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur next month, is in doubt again after four postponements. The talks broke down a year ago amid disagreements over the size and wealth of a proposed ancestral homeland for Muslims on the southern island of Mindanao.
Government and rebel sources told Reuters the Malaysian government was getting impatient, and threatened during an informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week to recall its 60 monitors to pressure the sides to resume talks.
Mohaqher Iqbal, the rebels' chief negotiator, told Reuters in a phone interview from his hideout on Mindanao that any withdrawal of Malaysian soldiers would endanger the truce and harm implementation of development projects.
"If that happens, it would have a big impact on the peace process," Iqbal said.
Unarmed Malaysian soldiers have been in Mindanao since 2004 as part of an effort to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million. Libya and Brunei also have small contingents in the monitoring team.
Iqbar said last week's meeting in Kuala Lumpur had been "productive" but had failed to fix a date for formal talks.
"Our differences were not really poles apart, we've narrowed the gaps from where we started two years ago," Iqbar said.
"But our counterparts could not commit to anything without the approval of the political leadership in Manila," he said.
"The government must have political will to conclude the peace process."
Last week, the military accused MILF members of helping a band of Abu Sayyaf rebels during a firefight on Basilan island and threatened to file a protest to a ceasefire panel.
The MILF countered by saying Philippine troops had entered rebel territory without coordinating with the panel, and had attacked one of its camps.
There was no word on any MILF involvement in Tuesday's fighting, sparked by a pre-dawn raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout.
Mindanao has been a focus of international attention because Western governments believe it has been a training base for islamic militants with links to Al Qaeda and regional group Jemaah Islamiah.
Japan has been funding about $1 million worth of social and economic projects, including repairs of school buildings and installation of potable water systems.
The World Bank has a separate $3 million project helping set up cooperatives to start and manage small businesses, such as copra and rice production.
Canada, Sweden and the United States have also expressed keen interest in funding post-conflict livelihood projects and helping facilitate the negotiations brokered by Malaysia since 2001.
"I hope the government realises what it stands to lose if the peace process fails," Iqbal said.
Oh well then, we all should just surrender to Allah's Army of Halfwits and be done with it.
Malaysia may pull peace monitors from Philippines
Malaysia has threatened to withdraw monitors overseeing a four-year ceasefire between the Philippine army and the country's biggest Muslim separatist guerrilla group because of delays in peace talks, sources said on Tuesday.
Tension has risen lately between the army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with both sides accusing the other of breaking the truce during a skirmish on the island of Basilan last week.
On Tuesday, at least four Navy commandos and six rebels died in another firefight on Basilan, as Philippine troops pursued the Abu Sayyaf group, which has close links with the MILF.
A resumption in peace talks, scheduled to take place in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur next month, is in doubt again after four postponements. The talks broke down a year ago amid disagreements over the size and wealth of a proposed ancestral homeland for Muslims on the southern island of Mindanao.
Government and rebel sources told Reuters the Malaysian government was getting impatient, and threatened during an informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week to recall its 60 monitors to pressure the sides to resume talks.
Mohaqher Iqbal, the rebels' chief negotiator, told Reuters in a phone interview from his hideout on Mindanao that any withdrawal of Malaysian soldiers would endanger the truce and harm implementation of development projects.
"If that happens, it would have a big impact on the peace process," Iqbal said.
Unarmed Malaysian soldiers have been in Mindanao since 2004 as part of an effort to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people and displaced 2 million. Libya and Brunei also have small contingents in the monitoring team.
Iqbar said last week's meeting in Kuala Lumpur had been "productive" but had failed to fix a date for formal talks.
"Our differences were not really poles apart, we've narrowed the gaps from where we started two years ago," Iqbar said.
"But our counterparts could not commit to anything without the approval of the political leadership in Manila," he said.
"The government must have political will to conclude the peace process."
Last week, the military accused MILF members of helping a band of Abu Sayyaf rebels during a firefight on Basilan island and threatened to file a protest to a ceasefire panel.
The MILF countered by saying Philippine troops had entered rebel territory without coordinating with the panel, and had attacked one of its camps.
There was no word on any MILF involvement in Tuesday's fighting, sparked by a pre-dawn raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout.
Mindanao has been a focus of international attention because Western governments believe it has been a training base for islamic militants with links to Al Qaeda and regional group Jemaah Islamiah.
Japan has been funding about $1 million worth of social and economic projects, including repairs of school buildings and installation of potable water systems.
The World Bank has a separate $3 million project helping set up cooperatives to start and manage small businesses, such as copra and rice production.
Canada, Sweden and the United States have also expressed keen interest in funding post-conflict livelihood projects and helping facilitate the negotiations brokered by Malaysia since 2001.
"I hope the government realises what it stands to lose if the peace process fails," Iqbal said.
Oh well then, we all should just surrender to Allah's Army of Halfwits and be done with it.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
2 Soldier Killed in Pinoy Duffy
How is it in the Philippines they are "Islamic Extremists" but in Thailand they are "Seperatists" or just "Restive"?
Two Philippine soldiers dead in assault on Muslim extremists
Two soldiers were killed and nine wounded in a clash with Al-Qaeda-linked Muslim extremists on the southern Philippine island of Basilan, military officials said Wednesday.
The Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group also suffered an undetermined number of casualties as the government stepped up its operations against rebels who killed 14 Marines -- beheading 10 of them -- in an ambush in July.
Abu Sayyaf members were seen dragging their fallen comrades away from the battle site, said regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batarra.
Intelligence reports indicated they suffered several dead and wounded, he added.
The two soldiers killed were members of Philippine special forces who were spearheading an assault on a group of Abu Sayyaf led by Furuji Indama who were involved in the July 10 ambush, said Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, head of the army special forces.
The government responded to the July ambush with a massive military offensive leading to a clash on August 18 that left 16 Marines dead and about 30 Abu Sayyaf militants dead or wounded. However, Indama's group escaped the offensive.
Since then, there have been no reports of heightened fighting between the government and the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked by intelligence agencies to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history including bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians.
US Special Forces are in the southern Philippines helping local troops hunt down members of the group.
Two Philippine soldiers dead in assault on Muslim extremists
Two soldiers were killed and nine wounded in a clash with Al-Qaeda-linked Muslim extremists on the southern Philippine island of Basilan, military officials said Wednesday.
The Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group also suffered an undetermined number of casualties as the government stepped up its operations against rebels who killed 14 Marines -- beheading 10 of them -- in an ambush in July.
Abu Sayyaf members were seen dragging their fallen comrades away from the battle site, said regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batarra.
Intelligence reports indicated they suffered several dead and wounded, he added.
The two soldiers killed were members of Philippine special forces who were spearheading an assault on a group of Abu Sayyaf led by Furuji Indama who were involved in the July 10 ambush, said Brigadier General Arturo Ortiz, head of the army special forces.
The government responded to the July ambush with a massive military offensive leading to a clash on August 18 that left 16 Marines dead and about 30 Abu Sayyaf militants dead or wounded. However, Indama's group escaped the offensive.
Since then, there have been no reports of heightened fighting between the government and the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked by intelligence agencies to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history including bombings and mass kidnappings of foreigners and Christians.
US Special Forces are in the southern Philippines helping local troops hunt down members of the group.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Abu Sayyaf Bombers Busted
Arrests in the Philippines
Philippine police seize 7 men suspected of tourist island bomb plots
Police have disrupted plots by Muslim militants to bomb tourist and shopping locations in the volatile southern Philippines with the arrests of seven suspects, officials said Tuesday.
Police deputy director Avelino Razon identified those detained as operatives of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah who were suspected of plotting attacks to divert attention from an ongoing military offensive against militants on Basilan and Jolo islands.
The arrests included three suspected Abu Sayyaf bomb experts on southwestern Palawan island, a resort province and popular tourist destination northwest of Basilan and Jolo. Some of the seven detained were armed with explosives.
Razon said the suspects told interrogators they had assembled four improvised explosive devices, one of which was recovered Sunday near a mosque in Puerto Princesa, Palawan's provincial capital. The three other devices have not been found, he said.
One of those arrested, Omar Jakarain, also known as Abu Moguera, was wanted for his involvement in the 2001 kidnapping of American and other tourists from Palawan's Dos Palmas resort. That yearlong kidnapping saga left several hostages dead, including two Americans.
Military chief Hermogenes Esperon said Moguera was a member of a terror cell connected with Jemaah Islamiyah fugitive Dulmatin, who has been evading a U.S.-backed offensive in the southern Philippines since fleeing Indonesia shortly after the 2002 Bali bombings.
Moguera was arrested with two other people. Police raided the house of another Abu Sayyaf suspect in Puerto Princesa on Sunday, and apprehended two more people amid fears that terrorists may target the city hall, public markets and beach resorts.
Another man was caught in General Santos city Saturday, on the main southern island of Mindanao, carrying a homemade bomb he allegedly planned to set off inside a shopping mall, Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio said.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the arrests were proof the military was closing in on militants hiding on Basilan and Jolo, where more than 50 troops were killed in clashes in August.
Philippine police seize 7 men suspected of tourist island bomb plots
Police have disrupted plots by Muslim militants to bomb tourist and shopping locations in the volatile southern Philippines with the arrests of seven suspects, officials said Tuesday.
Police deputy director Avelino Razon identified those detained as operatives of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah who were suspected of plotting attacks to divert attention from an ongoing military offensive against militants on Basilan and Jolo islands.
The arrests included three suspected Abu Sayyaf bomb experts on southwestern Palawan island, a resort province and popular tourist destination northwest of Basilan and Jolo. Some of the seven detained were armed with explosives.
Razon said the suspects told interrogators they had assembled four improvised explosive devices, one of which was recovered Sunday near a mosque in Puerto Princesa, Palawan's provincial capital. The three other devices have not been found, he said.
One of those arrested, Omar Jakarain, also known as Abu Moguera, was wanted for his involvement in the 2001 kidnapping of American and other tourists from Palawan's Dos Palmas resort. That yearlong kidnapping saga left several hostages dead, including two Americans.
Military chief Hermogenes Esperon said Moguera was a member of a terror cell connected with Jemaah Islamiyah fugitive Dulmatin, who has been evading a U.S.-backed offensive in the southern Philippines since fleeing Indonesia shortly after the 2002 Bali bombings.
Moguera was arrested with two other people. Police raided the house of another Abu Sayyaf suspect in Puerto Princesa on Sunday, and apprehended two more people amid fears that terrorists may target the city hall, public markets and beach resorts.
Another man was caught in General Santos city Saturday, on the main southern island of Mindanao, carrying a homemade bomb he allegedly planned to set off inside a shopping mall, Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio said.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the arrests were proof the military was closing in on militants hiding on Basilan and Jolo, where more than 50 troops were killed in clashes in August.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
AFP Not Taking Break During Ramadanadingdong
Why should they stop during the Musim holy month? The MILF and Abu Sayuuf certainly haven't stopped their terror attacks during any Christian holidays.
Defense chief says offensive to continue during Ramadan
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Friday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will not stop its offensive against the terrorists in Western Mindanao during the observance of the Muslim’s holy period Ramadan.
“We cannot stop the operations,” Teodoro told reporters in Camp Auginaldo after the graduation of students of the National Defense College of the Philippines who took up their master's degree on national security administration.
Teodoro made the declaration following appeals by some sectors, including Muslim religious groups, to temporarily halt the operations against the Abu Sayyaf during the duration of the month-long Ramadan which begins September 12.
“On when and where the operations will be conducted are up to the (military) commanders but we (defense department) cannot go above their heads and stop it,” he added.
The government has stepped up operations against the Abu Sayyaf, specifically in Basilan and Sulu provinces, following bloody fightings that have left over a hundred soldiers and Abu Sayyaf men dead.
The bandit group members in Sulu are said to be in the company of at least two leaders of the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah – Dulmatin and Umar Patek – who are responsible for the 2002 attack in Bali, Indonesia that killed some 202 people.
The group, which has about 300 to 400 members throughout the country, is responsible for a number of high-profile kidnappings and bombings in the country, among them the attack on a passenger ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that left 200 people dead.
There has been a lull in the fighting after last Monday’s brief fighting in the outskirts of Tipo-tipo town in Basilan between patrolling Marine soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf terrorists that left two soldiers wounded.
Asked on the lull in the offensive, Teodoro said: “That’s up to the commanders.
"I cannot speak for the commanders. They exercise their own independent judgment as to when and where to conduct the operations.”
Defense chief says offensive to continue during Ramadan
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Friday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will not stop its offensive against the terrorists in Western Mindanao during the observance of the Muslim’s holy period Ramadan.
“We cannot stop the operations,” Teodoro told reporters in Camp Auginaldo after the graduation of students of the National Defense College of the Philippines who took up their master's degree on national security administration.
Teodoro made the declaration following appeals by some sectors, including Muslim religious groups, to temporarily halt the operations against the Abu Sayyaf during the duration of the month-long Ramadan which begins September 12.
“On when and where the operations will be conducted are up to the (military) commanders but we (defense department) cannot go above their heads and stop it,” he added.
The government has stepped up operations against the Abu Sayyaf, specifically in Basilan and Sulu provinces, following bloody fightings that have left over a hundred soldiers and Abu Sayyaf men dead.
The bandit group members in Sulu are said to be in the company of at least two leaders of the Southeast Asian regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah – Dulmatin and Umar Patek – who are responsible for the 2002 attack in Bali, Indonesia that killed some 202 people.
The group, which has about 300 to 400 members throughout the country, is responsible for a number of high-profile kidnappings and bombings in the country, among them the attack on a passenger ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that left 200 people dead.
There has been a lull in the fighting after last Monday’s brief fighting in the outskirts of Tipo-tipo town in Basilan between patrolling Marine soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf terrorists that left two soldiers wounded.
Asked on the lull in the offensive, Teodoro said: “That’s up to the commanders.
"I cannot speak for the commanders. They exercise their own independent judgment as to when and where to conduct the operations.”
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Pinoys Shelling Abu Sayyaf
Shelling may work better than talking with these nutters
Philippines troops shell Islamic militant stronghold
Government forces shelled an Islamic militant stronghold in the southern Philippines in preparation for an offensive, the military said on Tuesday.
Mortar fire started on Monday on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout in the jungles of the island of Basilan, said Captain Niel Estrella, spokesman for its counter-terrorist task force.
"It's part of our offensive, to soften the target defence. This is to support our ground troops" massed around the Al-Qaida linked group, he said by telephone.
No casualties have been reported. President Gloria Arroyo ordered an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf last month after an ambush on a troop convoy in Basilan on July 10 that left 14 marines dead. Fighting has since spread to the nearby island of Jolo.
Some 24,000 people from the two mainly Muslim islands have fled their homes with the government deploying 17 army and marine battalions to pursue some 120 Abu Sayyaf members in Jolo and 58 others in Basilan.
"They are mobile but their movement is limited," Estrella said of the Basilan-based militants. "Anywhere they go they are vulnerable. We are trying to close off all possible escape routes."
The Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in the Philippines, including the 2004 bombing of a passenger ferry that killed over 100 people.
Blamed for? Or taken credit for?
Philippines troops shell Islamic militant stronghold
Government forces shelled an Islamic militant stronghold in the southern Philippines in preparation for an offensive, the military said on Tuesday.
Mortar fire started on Monday on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout in the jungles of the island of Basilan, said Captain Niel Estrella, spokesman for its counter-terrorist task force.
"It's part of our offensive, to soften the target defence. This is to support our ground troops" massed around the Al-Qaida linked group, he said by telephone.
No casualties have been reported. President Gloria Arroyo ordered an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf last month after an ambush on a troop convoy in Basilan on July 10 that left 14 marines dead. Fighting has since spread to the nearby island of Jolo.
Some 24,000 people from the two mainly Muslim islands have fled their homes with the government deploying 17 army and marine battalions to pursue some 120 Abu Sayyaf members in Jolo and 58 others in Basilan.
"They are mobile but their movement is limited," Estrella said of the Basilan-based militants. "Anywhere they go they are vulnerable. We are trying to close off all possible escape routes."
The Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in the Philippines, including the 2004 bombing of a passenger ferry that killed over 100 people.
Blamed for? Or taken credit for?
Friday, August 24, 2007
One Less Abu Sayyaf
Let's get this straight. The Abu Sayyaf are not "rebels". Technically you could call the MILF rebels. Abu Sayyaf are terrorists. What qualifies them as such? Cutting the heads off of kidnapped tourists, setting bombs off on commuter trains, blowing up shops, killing Priests and Nuns.
Muslim rebel killed in military raid in southern Philippines
A Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel was killed during a raid on a suspected guerrilla hideout on a southern Philippine island, an army spokesman said Friday. Army troops swooped down on the suspected Abu Sayyaf lair in Umbay village on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, before dawn on Thursday.
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said one Abu Sayyaf rebel, identified as Abdul Majid, was killed in the raid.
Torres said Majid was wanted for kidnapping and illegal detention.
"Seized from his house were a magazine for M16 rifle and ammunition for a 45-caliber pistol," he said.
The Philippine military has stepped up offensives against Abu Sayyaf rebels in Jolo and nearby Basilan province after suffering heavy casualties in the battlefield.
Since last month, more than 50 soldiers have been killed in clashes with Abu Sayyaf rebels and other Islamic militants in Jolo and Basilan.
General Hermogenes Esperon, armed forces chief of staff, said the military aims to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Jolo within two months.
"We will apply the full force of our large presence in the two areas if only to see an early neutralization of the Abu Sayyaf," he said.
"They would be put off balance and will not be able to launch any terrorist activities," he added.
Esperon said that once the military has neutralized the Abu Sayyaf's threat, the armed forces would then launch civic and humanitarian missions in affected areas.
Muslim rebel killed in military raid in southern Philippines
A Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebel was killed during a raid on a suspected guerrilla hideout on a southern Philippine island, an army spokesman said Friday. Army troops swooped down on the suspected Abu Sayyaf lair in Umbay village on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, before dawn on Thursday.
Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said one Abu Sayyaf rebel, identified as Abdul Majid, was killed in the raid.
Torres said Majid was wanted for kidnapping and illegal detention.
"Seized from his house were a magazine for M16 rifle and ammunition for a 45-caliber pistol," he said.
The Philippine military has stepped up offensives against Abu Sayyaf rebels in Jolo and nearby Basilan province after suffering heavy casualties in the battlefield.
Since last month, more than 50 soldiers have been killed in clashes with Abu Sayyaf rebels and other Islamic militants in Jolo and Basilan.
General Hermogenes Esperon, armed forces chief of staff, said the military aims to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan and Jolo within two months.
"We will apply the full force of our large presence in the two areas if only to see an early neutralization of the Abu Sayyaf," he said.
"They would be put off balance and will not be able to launch any terrorist activities," he added.
Esperon said that once the military has neutralized the Abu Sayyaf's threat, the armed forces would then launch civic and humanitarian missions in affected areas.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Arroyo Visits Troops
Very nice of her. I wonder if she brought them Jolibee for lunch.
Arroyo visits southern Philippines to meet troops battling al-Qaida-linked militants
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo flew to the southern Philippines amid tight security Thursday to confer with the military's top brass and meet families of troops slain in recent battles with al-Qaida-linked militants.
Shortly after arriving at the military's Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga city, 860 kilometers (535 miles) south of Manila, Arroyo handed cash assistance to families of slain soldiers. She then went into a closed-door conference with security commanders, officials said.
Arroyo warned Tuesday the military offensives on nearby Basilan and Jolo islands may prompt militants to sow terror elsewhere in the country. She said she ordered the military and police to bolster security.
Hours later, however, a bomb exploded in a crowded square in Zamboanga, wounding 14 people. The bombing, carried out amid already-tight security in the city, may have been set off by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group to divert the military's focus from the offensives, officials say.
The government will not ease off the campaign, Arroyo said. She also ordered officials to launch a "humanitarian offensive" on Basilan and Jolo to balance the military assault.
Arroyo was to have lunch with marines at their brigade camp on Basilan island.
U.S.-backed troops bombarded Muslim militant strongholds on the island on Sunday, a day after 15 marines and 40 militants were killed in fierce fighting, officials said.
The marines were killed when their unit attacked a jungle hide-out of the Abu Sayyaf near Basilan's remote Ungkaya Pukan township, sparking a daylong clash during which an air force pilot also died when his helicopter crashed at sea, the military said.
The military claimed about 40 insurgents were killed, including two commanders who allegedly took part in last month's beheadings of 10 marines on Basilan.
Police forces have been placed on full alert in the capital, Manila, and the southern Mindanao region, beefing up security in public areas and transport hubs.
The U.S. government has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf — notorious for deadly bombings, beheadings and ransom kidnappings — as a terrorist organization.
Arroyo visits southern Philippines to meet troops battling al-Qaida-linked militants
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo flew to the southern Philippines amid tight security Thursday to confer with the military's top brass and meet families of troops slain in recent battles with al-Qaida-linked militants.
Shortly after arriving at the military's Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga city, 860 kilometers (535 miles) south of Manila, Arroyo handed cash assistance to families of slain soldiers. She then went into a closed-door conference with security commanders, officials said.
Arroyo warned Tuesday the military offensives on nearby Basilan and Jolo islands may prompt militants to sow terror elsewhere in the country. She said she ordered the military and police to bolster security.
Hours later, however, a bomb exploded in a crowded square in Zamboanga, wounding 14 people. The bombing, carried out amid already-tight security in the city, may have been set off by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group to divert the military's focus from the offensives, officials say.
The government will not ease off the campaign, Arroyo said. She also ordered officials to launch a "humanitarian offensive" on Basilan and Jolo to balance the military assault.
Arroyo was to have lunch with marines at their brigade camp on Basilan island.
U.S.-backed troops bombarded Muslim militant strongholds on the island on Sunday, a day after 15 marines and 40 militants were killed in fierce fighting, officials said.
The marines were killed when their unit attacked a jungle hide-out of the Abu Sayyaf near Basilan's remote Ungkaya Pukan township, sparking a daylong clash during which an air force pilot also died when his helicopter crashed at sea, the military said.
The military claimed about 40 insurgents were killed, including two commanders who allegedly took part in last month's beheadings of 10 marines on Basilan.
Police forces have been placed on full alert in the capital, Manila, and the southern Mindanao region, beefing up security in public areas and transport hubs.
The U.S. government has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf — notorious for deadly bombings, beheadings and ransom kidnappings — as a terrorist organization.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Abu Sayyaf Base Captured
Westerners often seem to think of the conflict in the Philippines as some sort of side show in the War on Terror. It's not. In fact IF the West had been paying attention to the region a little better back in the mid-90's they would have seen the same of things to come, right down to the idea of flying planes into buildings.
Philippines overruns base of Abu Sayyaf militants
The Philippine military said Sunday that it had overrun an elaborate base of operations constructed by Abu Sayyaf insurgents on the southern island of Basilan.
Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, a marine spokesman, told Reuters that the base was seized after a protracted firefight Saturday morning that left 15 troops and at least 20 militants dead. The facility was laced with underground bunkers, tunnels and well-developed trenches, Caculitan said.
The military operation on Basilan was prompted by an encounter there July 10, when insurgents killed 14 members of the Philippine Marines who marched into a village known to be an Abu Sayyaf stronghold. Ten marines were later found beheaded.
In the past month, the government has increased the number of troops on Basilan and the adjacent island province of Sulu to more than 12,000, the biggest such deployment since 2001.
"The firefight is ongoing," Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said in a news briefing Saturday. "Our troops are now concentrating in the area. We will press on with the fight."
Philippines overruns base of Abu Sayyaf militants
The Philippine military said Sunday that it had overrun an elaborate base of operations constructed by Abu Sayyaf insurgents on the southern island of Basilan.
Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, a marine spokesman, told Reuters that the base was seized after a protracted firefight Saturday morning that left 15 troops and at least 20 militants dead. The facility was laced with underground bunkers, tunnels and well-developed trenches, Caculitan said.
The military operation on Basilan was prompted by an encounter there July 10, when insurgents killed 14 members of the Philippine Marines who marched into a village known to be an Abu Sayyaf stronghold. Ten marines were later found beheaded.
In the past month, the government has increased the number of troops on Basilan and the adjacent island province of Sulu to more than 12,000, the biggest such deployment since 2001.
"The firefight is ongoing," Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro said in a news briefing Saturday. "Our troops are now concentrating in the area. We will press on with the fight."
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Pinoys For Super Champ and Total War
I don't mean to make light of what may result if the gloves finally come off between the Philippines and the troublesome Restive types in their south but... Giving peace a chance hasn't exactly worked out so well. Perhaps another strategy should be employed. Like winning.
Philippines teeters on brink of total war
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have launched a new military campaign against radical Muslim insurgents in its southern regions, an offensive nominally aimed at finishing off the hobbled 300-member Abu Sayyaf terror group, but one that also threatens to widen the conflict with two ceasefire groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Manila recently ramped up its military deployment to the restive region, where estimates of soldiers on the ground ranging widely
from 5,000-12,000. Army chief General Romeo Tolentino recently announced that he had temporary moved army headquarters from Manila to Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao while the campaign is conducted. Fighting on the southern island of Jolo this month saw 50 people - including 25 army soldiers - killed in armed exchanges, and thousands of civilians have since evacuated the area.
Significantly, the MNLF has claimed responsibility for certain recent attacks. The Philippine military first launched Operation Endgame against the radical group back in 2002, but failed to live up to its billing without foreign assistance. Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Washington has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of military assistance to the Philippine Army specifically to combat the Abu Sayyaf, which Manila claims is responsible for more than 400 civilian deaths since 2000, including the bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people. The US has accused Abu Sayyaf of having links to global terror group al-Qaeda and Indonesia-based radical group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) - but until now has remained mum on the MNLF while negotiations with Manila were ongoing.
Nonetheless, the new assault on the MNLF, which stands accused of harboring Abu Sayyaf and JI operatives, would appear to jibe with broad US counter-terrorism objectives in the region. In an effort to win Filipino hearts and minds, the US Agency for International Development has pumped more than US$230 million in development and humanitarian assistance into Mindanao since 2002.
While American soldiers are prohibited from engaging in military operations, an unknown number of American military advisers provide tactical and operational advice. With that support, the Philippine Army has scored some important military successes against the rebel group over the past 18 months, including the apparent killing last September of the group's leader Khadafy Janjalani and, in January, of his apparent successor Abu Sulaiman (Jainal Antel Sali Jr).
I hate this sort of "reporting". Clearly who ever wrote this has never had to listen to a shoot out between the Abu Sayyaf and the Army down the street from his apartment.
Philippines teeters on brink of total war
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have launched a new military campaign against radical Muslim insurgents in its southern regions, an offensive nominally aimed at finishing off the hobbled 300-member Abu Sayyaf terror group, but one that also threatens to widen the conflict with two ceasefire groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Manila recently ramped up its military deployment to the restive region, where estimates of soldiers on the ground ranging widely
from 5,000-12,000. Army chief General Romeo Tolentino recently announced that he had temporary moved army headquarters from Manila to Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao while the campaign is conducted. Fighting on the southern island of Jolo this month saw 50 people - including 25 army soldiers - killed in armed exchanges, and thousands of civilians have since evacuated the area.
Significantly, the MNLF has claimed responsibility for certain recent attacks. The Philippine military first launched Operation Endgame against the radical group back in 2002, but failed to live up to its billing without foreign assistance. Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Washington has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of military assistance to the Philippine Army specifically to combat the Abu Sayyaf, which Manila claims is responsible for more than 400 civilian deaths since 2000, including the bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 116 people. The US has accused Abu Sayyaf of having links to global terror group al-Qaeda and Indonesia-based radical group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) - but until now has remained mum on the MNLF while negotiations with Manila were ongoing.
Nonetheless, the new assault on the MNLF, which stands accused of harboring Abu Sayyaf and JI operatives, would appear to jibe with broad US counter-terrorism objectives in the region. In an effort to win Filipino hearts and minds, the US Agency for International Development has pumped more than US$230 million in development and humanitarian assistance into Mindanao since 2002.
While American soldiers are prohibited from engaging in military operations, an unknown number of American military advisers provide tactical and operational advice. With that support, the Philippine Army has scored some important military successes against the rebel group over the past 18 months, including the apparent killing last September of the group's leader Khadafy Janjalani and, in January, of his apparent successor Abu Sulaiman (Jainal Antel Sali Jr).
I hate this sort of "reporting". Clearly who ever wrote this has never had to listen to a shoot out between the Abu Sayyaf and the Army down the street from his apartment.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Philippines Battle
57 Killed in Clash With Al Qaeda-Linked Militants in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Clashes between troops and suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants have killed at least 57 people and wounded 42 others on volatile southern Jolo island this week, the Philippine military said Friday.
The death toll included 25 soldiers and 27 militants killed Thursday when suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists ambushed a truck carrying troops headed to get supplies, then fought a running gunbattle with soldiers in pursuit, said Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, the military's spokesman.
"As far as I can remember, this is our biggest casualty in a day," Bacarro told reporters. Ten soldiers and 25 militants were wounded in Thursday's clashes, he added.
Early Thursday, the insurgents ambushed members of the army's 33rd Infantry Battalion who were on their way to get supplies in Indanan township, killing 10 soldiers and wounding another, Bacarro said.
Late in the afternoon, troops from the same battalion encountered about 120 Abu Sayyaf militants and rogue members of the Moro National Liberation Front, a rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the government 11 years ago, Bacarro said.
"Rogue members" my ass.
MANILA, Philippines — Clashes between troops and suspected Al Qaeda-linked militants have killed at least 57 people and wounded 42 others on volatile southern Jolo island this week, the Philippine military said Friday.
The death toll included 25 soldiers and 27 militants killed Thursday when suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists ambushed a truck carrying troops headed to get supplies, then fought a running gunbattle with soldiers in pursuit, said Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, the military's spokesman.
"As far as I can remember, this is our biggest casualty in a day," Bacarro told reporters. Ten soldiers and 25 militants were wounded in Thursday's clashes, he added.
Early Thursday, the insurgents ambushed members of the army's 33rd Infantry Battalion who were on their way to get supplies in Indanan township, killing 10 soldiers and wounding another, Bacarro said.
Late in the afternoon, troops from the same battalion encountered about 120 Abu Sayyaf militants and rogue members of the Moro National Liberation Front, a rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the government 11 years ago, Bacarro said.
"Rogue members" my ass.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
9 Pinoy Troops Killed
Restiveness in the Phils too?
Nine soldiers killed in Philippines ambush
Muslim extremists killed nine soldiers, and wounded two others, in an ambush on their convoy on Thursday in the southern Philippines, the military said.
The attack took place outside Maimbung town on the island of Jolo as the soldiers headed to the market for provisions, said local military spokesman Major Eugene Batara.
"We have reports that the Abu Sayyaf were the ones who attacked them," he added, saying the gunmen also took six M-16 rifles.
The attack is the latest in an escalation of violence in the restive south where troops have been massing since July 10 when 14 Marines were killed on Basilan. Ten of the Marines were beheaded.
At least three Abu Sayyaf extremists and a soldier were killed Wednesday and two Marines wounded Tuesday in clashes in Jolo island.
The Abu Sayyaf group, which the US and Philippine governments have linked to the Al-Qaida terror network, has been responsible for numerous attacks on Christians and foreigners throughout the Philippines in recent years.
The Abu Sayyaf and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were behind the July 10 attack, the military and government have said.
The MILF, which is suppose to be observing a three year-old ceasefire, has admitted killing the Marines but denied beheading them.
More than 23,000 villagers residing near MILF camps in the southern Philippines have fled their homes for fear of getting caught up in any possible government attack.
Despite the heightening of tensions, government peace negotiators have said they expect to reopen peace talks with the MILF in Malaysia before the end of this month.
Escalation in violence that started well over ten years ago and hasn't subsided despite all sorts of peace talks and ass-kissing. Someone somewhere please take the gloves off.
Nine soldiers killed in Philippines ambush
Muslim extremists killed nine soldiers, and wounded two others, in an ambush on their convoy on Thursday in the southern Philippines, the military said.
The attack took place outside Maimbung town on the island of Jolo as the soldiers headed to the market for provisions, said local military spokesman Major Eugene Batara.
"We have reports that the Abu Sayyaf were the ones who attacked them," he added, saying the gunmen also took six M-16 rifles.
The attack is the latest in an escalation of violence in the restive south where troops have been massing since July 10 when 14 Marines were killed on Basilan. Ten of the Marines were beheaded.
At least three Abu Sayyaf extremists and a soldier were killed Wednesday and two Marines wounded Tuesday in clashes in Jolo island.
The Abu Sayyaf group, which the US and Philippine governments have linked to the Al-Qaida terror network, has been responsible for numerous attacks on Christians and foreigners throughout the Philippines in recent years.
The Abu Sayyaf and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were behind the July 10 attack, the military and government have said.
The MILF, which is suppose to be observing a three year-old ceasefire, has admitted killing the Marines but denied beheading them.
More than 23,000 villagers residing near MILF camps in the southern Philippines have fled their homes for fear of getting caught up in any possible government attack.
Despite the heightening of tensions, government peace negotiators have said they expect to reopen peace talks with the MILF in Malaysia before the end of this month.
Escalation in violence that started well over ten years ago and hasn't subsided despite all sorts of peace talks and ass-kissing. Someone somewhere please take the gloves off.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Pinoy Duffy Kills 4 Islamics
Philippine troops kill four rebels
Philippine security forces killed at least four Islamic militants in a series of gunbattles on a southern island, an army general said, as soldiers began collecting unlicensed guns from civilians in the area.
Major-General Ruben Rafael said fighting between soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic militant group with suspected ties to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah, broke out first on Tuesday on the island of Jolo.
Fighting continued on Wednesday.
"We lost one soldier and seven were wounded, including two marines," Rafael told reporters. "We recovered the bodies of four dead Abu Sayyaf. Our troops believed they had inflicted heavy casualties on the rebel side."
Rafael said the fighting on Jolo island was not connected to punitive action launched by the marines against Muslim rebels suspected to have a role in the beheading of 10 soldiers during a nine-hour gun battle on nearby Basilan island on July 10.
He said the soldiers on Jolo were trying to collect weapons from civilians when they were engaged by the Abu Sayyaf.
On Basilan, troops pounded known positions of the Abu Sayyaf with howitzer and mortar shells after the rebels fired at a marine base on Monday night.
There were no casualties reported in the shelling, but the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) warned the soldiers that it would be forced to retaliate because some of the artillery rounds fell close to its positions.
The MILF, the largest Muslim rebel group in the country, is engaged in a peace process with the government.
The MILF has been in peace processes with the Philippine government since the late 1990s for all the good its done. And here's demographic tid-bit for you. The southern part of the Philippines may be home to the majority of Muslims BUT they are not the percentage majority of that area. No matter, they demand an Islamic State anyways. I'm sure they'll take care of the demographic imbalance afterwards.
Philippine security forces killed at least four Islamic militants in a series of gunbattles on a southern island, an army general said, as soldiers began collecting unlicensed guns from civilians in the area.
Major-General Ruben Rafael said fighting between soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic militant group with suspected ties to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah, broke out first on Tuesday on the island of Jolo.
Fighting continued on Wednesday.
"We lost one soldier and seven were wounded, including two marines," Rafael told reporters. "We recovered the bodies of four dead Abu Sayyaf. Our troops believed they had inflicted heavy casualties on the rebel side."
Rafael said the fighting on Jolo island was not connected to punitive action launched by the marines against Muslim rebels suspected to have a role in the beheading of 10 soldiers during a nine-hour gun battle on nearby Basilan island on July 10.
He said the soldiers on Jolo were trying to collect weapons from civilians when they were engaged by the Abu Sayyaf.
On Basilan, troops pounded known positions of the Abu Sayyaf with howitzer and mortar shells after the rebels fired at a marine base on Monday night.
There were no casualties reported in the shelling, but the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) warned the soldiers that it would be forced to retaliate because some of the artillery rounds fell close to its positions.
The MILF, the largest Muslim rebel group in the country, is engaged in a peace process with the government.
The MILF has been in peace processes with the Philippine government since the late 1990s for all the good its done. And here's demographic tid-bit for you. The southern part of the Philippines may be home to the majority of Muslims BUT they are not the percentage majority of that area. No matter, they demand an Islamic State anyways. I'm sure they'll take care of the demographic imbalance afterwards.
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