Military chief says PHL ready vs terror threats
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Oban said his men are not letting their guard down anytime soon against possible attacks from al Qaeda sympathizers one week after US special forces shot dead terror leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Oban said in an ambush interview that the AFP expects sympathy attacks might still be carried out by terrorist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf which is linked to bin Ladenâs group. âItâs prudent to consider all possibilities, thatâs why we are prepared," he said, adding that, âsince the death of bin Laden, we have heightened our alert even on the first day." Oban said the military is monitoring other possible terrorists who may be in Metro Manila following the arrest of Abu Sayyaf member Imam Arabani Jakiran at the Global City in Taguig City on Thursday where he had been employed as a security guard. Jakiran is linked to at least two high-profile kidnapping incidents in Basilan. âOur tracking of them is continuous. Wherever they are, our intelligence operations are ongoing," said Oban. The heightened alert status is also being observed in the provinces of Basilan and Sulu where the Abu Sayyaf still operate â some 300 strong â after having received funding and training from bin Ladenâs group back in the 1990s. âThatâs where the [Abu Sayyafâs] heart is," the AFP chief explained. The AFP chief begged off from disclosing just how many other suspected Abu Sayyaf members were being observed in Metro Manila, citing âoperational security." IPSP Bayanihan strategies Considering that for the past several days there have been no terror attacks related to bin Ladenâs death, Oban said security measures will not be slackened since âit has to be a continuous effort." Asked until when security efforts will be maintained, he answered, âUntil we have reached the objectives of IPSP Bayanihan in neutralizing the Abu Sayayaf, and the JI [Jemaah Islamiya] and other groups. Oban explained that under the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan, the AFP has identified three threat groups: the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peopleâs Army (CPP-NPA), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Abu Sayyaf-Jemaah Islamiyah, which he said called for different âoperational strategies." He said that while the AFP wants âpolitical settlement" with the CPP-NPA and the MILF, the âstrategy is to neutralize" the Abu Sayyaf-JI with âfocused military operations" âFrom Day One of the launching IPSP Bayanihan," he explained âNan doon na agad yung operational guidelines na nilabas namin (Our operational guidelines were ready to be implemented)." âIsolate them first, cut off their lines, mass base support, logistics line," he said. âBy then mayroon social pressure na iyan sa area. While we are doing this, yung developmental efforts lumalabas din â talagang continuous developmental efforts â sa area kaya the latest operatonal gains we had in Jolo and Basilan would attest to that," he said. (By then, social pressure would be employed in the area. While we are doing this, real continuous development efforts would be exerted in the area. The latest operational gains in Jolo, Sulu and Basilan would attest to that.) âMRT/KBK, GMA News