Palace welcomes US move to freeze IIRO funds in RP

Malacanang on Saturday welcomed the announcement by the US Treasury department that accused the Philippine and Indonesian offices of the Saudi-based International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) of raising funds for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. “We welcome the US action cutting the money flow of terrorist cells and we shall maintain our own lawful vigilance against suspicious money transfers that fund the forces of evil," said Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye. “The Philippines continues to be a strong and leading player in the global and regional war against terror and the Sulu operation is an integral part of that role," Bunye said. The Philippine military launched an all-out offensive against top leaders of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Jema’ah Islamiyah who were allegedly sighted in Sulu. The US Department of the Treasury early this week accused Abd Al Hamid Sulaiman Al-Mujil, executive director of the IIRO in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province Branch, of using his position “to bankroll the al-Qaeda network in Southeast Asia." The Treasury department said Al-Mujil has a long record of supporting Islamic militant groups. “Today we are holding him to account," said Stuart Levey, the department’s undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The IIRO was established in 1978 and has branch offices in over 20 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. “It is particularly shameful when groups that hold themselves out as charitable or religious organizations defraud their donors and divert funds in support of violent terrorist groups," said Levey. “We have long been concerned about these IIRO offices; we are now taking public action to sever this link in the al-Qaeda network's funding chain," he added. The Treasury department said Al-Mujil provided funds to al-Qaeda. It also identified the organization as a major fundraiser for the Abu Sayyaf Group and Jema’ah Islamiyah. The Treasury department said Al-Mujil invited a Philippines-based JI supporter to Saudi Arabia in 2004 under the cover of traveling for the hajj (pilgrimage), and planned to provide him with cash to carry back to the Philippines to support JI. The department said Al-Mujil has been providing support to terrorist organizations. He reportedly gave “direct financial assistance" to Abu Sayyaf leaders, including the late Abdurajak Janjalani. The Treasury department said the Indonesian and Philippines branches of the IIRO received support from IIRO-EP. The Philippine office of the IIRO was established sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s by Muhammad Jamal Khalifah, reportedly a brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden. - GMANews.TV