Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

How Iran establishes influence in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor

2023-07-17

[NPASyria] As soon as Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
entered the eastern region of Syria in 2017 under the pretense of backing the Syrian government in the fight against the Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS), it started to attract Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor and use several other methods to infiltrate the region.

Iran used the importance of the tribal lineage in this community as a start to infiltrate, such as the Hashemite tribes that have a historical connection to the Ahl al-Bayt, or the descendants of Prophet Muhammad, such as the al-Baggara, Mashahda, and al-Marasima tribes and all of them backed Iranian-affiliated militias.

North Press, through a network of field and military sources in areas held by Iranian-backed militias, obtained information about certain figures and over 10 tribal military militias formed by Iran.

TRIBAL MILITIAS
Baqir Brigade, backed by Iran, is led by Nawaf Ragheb al-Bashir and his children, who formed the Tribe Lions militia, with the majority of its bully boyz coming from al-Baggara. The most prominent leaders are Abdullah Younes al-Sattam, Khalaf Younes al-Sattam, Fawaz al-Rashid, and Nasser Awad al-Sadoun, aka Abu Sayaf.

According to sources, these military leaders are from the al-Baggara tribe and are close to Nawaf Ragheb al-Bashir.

The majority of the bully boyz in the Baqir Brigade are from the al-Shuwait tribe and are numbered between 1,500-2,000 krazed killers. This militia is not known for participating in battles even though its presence is confirmed in the towns of Sabikhan and al-Boleel, according to sources. The sources suggested that their work is limited to protecting headquarters and smuggling across the Euphrates River.

Iran also formed Haras al-Qura (village guards) militia in the town of al-Boleel and Sabikhan in the east of the city of Deir ez-Zor, west of the Euphrates River. They are directly under the command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and are led by Iranian krazed killers, but the local leaders are unknown.

The Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas is deployed in the city of al-Mayadin and surrounding areas, led by Adnan al-Soud, aka Abu al-Abbas. The militia has about 4,000 Syrian krazed killers, mostly from local tribes.

The al-Sayida Zaynab militia, led by Mo’ayed al-Duwayhi, is deployed in the city of al-Mayadin, east of Deir ez-Zor. The militia consists of bully boyz from multiple nationalities, in addition to about 1,000 local bully boyz from the tribes of al-Qalyin (Al-Rahabi) and al-Busaraya.

The al-Sheikh forces militia in al-Mayadin, led by Akram al-Sheikh, are numbered about 200 krazed killers, a mixture of members from the tribes of al-Jihesh and al-Qalyin (Al-Rahabi).

The Base 47 militia affiliated with IRGC is deployed in Abu Kamal and its countryside, led by Abu Issa al-Mashhadani and Youssef al-Hamdan from the town al-Sukariya. They are numbered about 1,000 krazed killers.

The Liwa Hashemiyoun militia are under the command of the Base 47 militia, and follow orders of Abu Issa al-Mashhadani and are led by Haj Ragheb al-Mashhadani.

The Liwa al-Hussein militia is deployed in the town of al-Ayyash, east of Deir ez-Zor, and is led by Fayez al-Jad’an. All the militia’s bully boyz are from the tribe of al-Uqaydat.

The Usoud al-Uqaydat (al-Uqaydat Lions) militia is led by Muhammad al-Shuwaiti and consists of about 300 krazed killers. The headquarters of the militia is located on al-Arba’in street in the city of al-Mayadin. There are other headquarters in the southern desert of al-Mayadin. Most of its bully boyz are from the tribe of al-Shuwait.

The Liwa al-Muntaser militia was recently formed in the city of Abu Kamal, backed by the so-called Farhan al-Marsoumi, who is closely linked to the IRGC. This militia’s mission is to accompany smuggling trucks. There are 300 bully boyz in the militia, mostly from the tribes of al-Marasima, al-Bobadran, and Mashahda.

The Iyal al-Shaib militia is present in the towns of al-Suwayeiya and al-Heri, east of Deir ez-Zor, and is affiliated with the IRGC. The krazed killers’ number and leader is unknown, but they are mostly from the tribe of al-Uqaydat backed by Sheikh of al-Hassoun tribe, Ayman Daham al-Dandel.

INFLUENTIAL FIGURES
Iran first began attracting tribes and forming tribal armed militias through the houses of Al al-Reja and Yassin al-Ma’youf in the town of Hatlah, northeast of Deir ez-Zor. According to sources, the two houses receive support from Iran.

Iran attracted several businessmen in Deir ez-Zor, and several figures made a fortune as a result of working in smuggling of architecture and drugs.

Local sources said that Nawaf Ragheb al-Bashir, Sheikh of the al-Baggara tribe who formed the Baqir Brigade in cooperation with members of his tribe present in areas under Iran’s control, is one of the influential figures in the regions.

The sources added that Farhan al-Marsoumi and his brothers Khallouf, Youssef, and Hassan, who contributed to the purchase of real estate in the areas of Abu Kamal and its countryside, as well as in the countryside of Damascus, were also well-known influential figures among Iranian militias.

They mentioned other figures such as Mehanna al-Fayad, sheikh of the Busaraya tribe, Ahmad al-Shammari, sheikh of the al-Boleel tribe, Ala al-Labad, sheikh of al-Busaba tribe, and Ayman Reja al-Dandal, sheikh of al-Hassoun tribe.

Link

Southeast Asia

6 Abu Sayyaf men sneak into Cebu; cops alert public

2016-10-25

[NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET] The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas ( PRO-7) has alerted people on possible terrorist attacks in Region 7 after it received reports that six members of the bandit group Abu Sayaff group arrived in Cebu last Friday.

Supt. Julian Entoma, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division, said the group was led by one Commander Messiah.

"Based on our monitoring, they came here to abduct prominent personalities although bombing malls and other establishments may also be one of their aims," he said.

Entoma said the members of the Abu Sayaff allegedly left Cebu on Sunday but police Sherlocks were not sure if six members of the terrorist group returned home in Mindanao.

"We continue to monitor. We already asked help from the Moslem communities in Cebu as well as the security managements of malls, lodges, and beach resorts," he said.

Link

Southeast Asia

Court sentences man to 12 years for aiding terrorists

2006-11-30

An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced an Islamic militant to 12 years in prison for providing a gun to the aide of a leading member of a Southeast Asian terrorist network. Joko Wibowo, alias Abu Sayaf, was convicted by a regional court in Central Java of violating anti-terror laws for giving a semiautomatic pistol to a member of Jemaah Islamiyah that was used for military training.

The three-member panel of judges said Joko gave the revolver and 20 bullets to Subur Sugiarto, a main aide to Noordin M. Top, a Malaysian fugitive accused of being a key leader of the group. "The defendant has been proven guilty of violating the anti-terror law," presiding Judge Boedi Hartono said at the ruling. Hewas also convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.

Link

Home Front: Culture Wars

Yet Another Take on "Root Cause" Dogma

2006-09-03

Yes, this article is well written and challenges conventional wisdom. However, I don't reject "root cause" dogma because it is plain and obvious that prescriptions in the unholy-Koran, form the peverse cause of Muslim terror. Muslims who agitate for the isolation of Israel - or any of the front-line states - are really advocating for Hizbollah/Hamas/Fatah/al-Qaeda aggression. And very few Muslims stray very far from the jihad party line. That is why I would criminalize ALL jihad advocacy and material support. The Leftists link Islamic-terror to so-called national-liberation movements, because Western governments won't link terror to Islam. That omission allows the Left to fill the political vacuum. The Islamic ideology is the mortal enemy of liberty and democracy, and Leftists use it to shake Western political foundations. Peaceful-islam dogma is a rhetorical prison.

...If you want to find fault with the foreign policy of the West, you do not need a PhD in international relations. It is a layman's job.

The perversity of the logic which assumes for western foreign policy the complete cause of terrorism lies, in actual fact, in its complete "emptiness." For a start, we have to admit that terrorism is not limited to the Islamic variant. So that, Tamil suicide bombers cannot possibly be reacting to "Western foreign policy." Joseph Kony who professes himself a Messiah of the Jungles is an obvious East African terrorist whose appalling deeds can clearly not be linked to "Western foreign policy."

The Millenarian Japanese sect that poisoned the Tokyo subway had no anti-western grievance to nurse, nor even a Western audience to ponder the meaning of its acts. Having thus agreed that terrorism across the world comes in different shapes and sizes, we are forced to focus solely on Islamic terrorism to justify our stance that Foreign policy is the causal agent in the dynamic of international terrorism.

It is here that the logic completely falls apart. Why should it only be "Western foreign policy"? Presumably, Russian foreign policy is behind Chechnya? Indian foreign policy is behind Kashmir; and Philippine foreign policy is behind the Abu Sayaf insurgency in the southern archipelagoes, and its vicious manifestations in central Manila? Yet all these nations will strongly protest that these issues are matters of "domestic policy" and some will indeed balk at the idea that some notion of "foreignness" is in operation.

Indeed, China, unlike Russia, so abhors that notion that the Government simply refuses to acknowledge the possibility of foreign influence on the Muslim Xingjian secessionists who have frequently resorted to the deliberate civilian targeting we usually refer to as "terrorism." Malaysia, increasingly the target of South Asian regional terrorist movements, often adopts the same insular approach.

Are we then to conclude that the "foreign policy" of every country, in so far as it involves Muslims is likely to incur the wrath of international terrorists regardless whether that country designates the matter as internal or external? When faceless Islamists blow up resorts in Egypt, Turkey or apartment buildings in Saudi Arabia, as they invariably do, is it of any use to devise a long chain of causal linkages until "Western foreign policy" is reached?

And even if we were to accept that logic, that international terrorists will avenge the lives of any Muslims endangered by the foreign policy of any country, in what category should we place Darfur? Here, we have a supposedly Islamic regime that kills other Muslims, admittedly of a different color, in their thousands. Where are the bombs going off in Sudanese chanceries abroad? What happens when different Islamic regimes clash? As was the case with Iran and the Taliban? How does our international terror "foreign policy" analysts determine their loyalties, and, even more crucially, how does that translate into violent action abroad...

...We should learn to see terrorism as a criminal enterprise and attack it as ruthlessly as we will any other such criminal activity that has the capacity to cause so much devastation. Else, we will soon discover that groups, of all sorts, similarly claiming to hold some grudge against East, West, North and/or South, are embarked forcefully on the terrorism business, and succeeding mightily in fueling useless disputes amongst their victims over their motives.

Terrorism is what it is; let's deal with it.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Your Enemies' Enemy Is Your Friend By Aljizz

2006-04-19

~~Will the Democrats SAVE Iran!!!!!~~ Will Democrats stop war on Iran?
When I saw this title first thought was pitiful their last hope is the Dems then second thought was of anger and shame in the fact that this is not just a fringe freeko party they one of the two major parties. And people wonder why our enemy thinks we are weak and ripe for the plucking.

I don't have much good to say about the Dems, but I think the Medes and the Persians are putting too many eggs in the antiwar basket, just like Sammy did. Events in Iran are coming to a head quicker than I thought they would, and the Dems may very well see the train rushing down on them when it's too late to get on board. There will always be an antiwar wing within the party, opposed to military action of all kinds to include repelling invasions, but it's becoming increasingly hard to pass off Iran as anything other than a bloodthirsty regime headed by nutcases. I believe the Dems who count will come around, and they may do so abruptly...

I'm afraid I don't have that much faith in the Dhimmicrats. I don't see the moderate, sensible Dhimmis as people willing to take a stand this election year, especially as long as Howlin' Howie holds out the slimmest possibility that the Dems could re-take the House and commence impeachment proceedings. I think the Mad Mullahs see that too -- in fact, they're counting on it.

"Recently, it has been reported that U.S. troops are conducting military operations in Iran," wrote Dennis Kucinich (D-OH),
Admitted Communist and this guy actually ran for Democratic President WTF is wrong with that picture

Al Sharpton ran for president, too. In fact, I think he outpolled Kucinich. That hardly makes either of them an epicenter of political thought...

... close to the epicenter of political shame, however, if only they could nudge Cynthia McKinney out of the way ...

Ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, last Friday. "If true, it appears that you have already made the decision to commit U.S. military forces to a unilateral conflict with Iran, even before direct or indirect negotiations with the government of Iran had been attempted, without UN support and without authorization from the U.S. Congress".

Given Iranian involvement in the internal politix in Iraq and the shrieking hysteria and venomous threats of their president, I'd call most things we do to Iran short of nuking Teheran reasonable and prudent. There's nothing in our constitution that says anything about UN support, and responding to Iranian bad boyz in defense of U.S. forces falls well within the CinC's responsibilities...

Facing pressure at home and abroad over the possibility of initiating another devastating war in the region, President Bush claimed yesterday that recent reports, all revealing plans by Washington involving a military strike against the Islamic Republic are just "wild speculation".
Bushs weakness is he can't talk worth anything. He couldnt sell a gold bar if it was priced FREE.

Regardless of Bush's shortcomings, the "possibility of initiating another devastating war in the region" says nothing about who's going to get devastated, does it?

It's all going to be 'wild speculation' until the day it happens.

Last week, a report by Seymour Hersh
Another well known traitor Seditionist can someone tell me why these guys are not in prison somewhere?

They don't have to be jailed. This is the U.S.A. where anyone has the right to be as stoopid as he/she/it pleases, with very few exceptions even fewer of which involve politix. Nobody but writers for al Jizz and Iranian politicians takes Seymour seriously. He's as consistently out in left field as anyone writing today, which is probably why the warning shot was leaked through him.

in the New Yorker, stated that, "one of the militarys initial option plans, as presented to the White House by the Pentagon this winter, calls for the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon,
I can't imagine a scenario were a US pres would OK nukes short a WMD strike on the States. Bush damm sure dont have the sack to do it. Now if he was talking about Israel thats another story.

I don't idealize Israel any more than I do any other country. They've got their own internal constraints and they're not cowboys or heroes or even he-men, any more than Bush is. I doubt that when the balloon does go up with Iran we'll use tactical nukes but I don't know for sure anymore and I thought I did a month or two ago. More importantly, neither do the Medes and the Persians know for sure, which is the whole object of the exercise, isn't it?

such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One target is Irans main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, nearly two hundred miles south of Tehran. Natanz, which is no longer under IAEA safeguards, reportedly has underground floor space to hold fifty thousand centrifuges, and laboratories and workspaces buried approximately seventy-five feet beneath the surface. That number of centrifuges could provide enough enriched uranium for about twenty nuclear warheads a year."

Such things are of small concern to the Dems. What's important is that there's an election coming up. They've been lining up on the side of winning elections rather than on the side of national interest since Kerry got trounced, usually without even bothering to hide the fact. They're being stoopid as a party, but that still leaves the real world problem of Iran, which isn't a matter of local or even national politix.

They're jonesing for impeachment proceedings, as if they're going to get rid of Bush, Cheney, Rice et al before 2008.

Also Congressman Peter DeFazio
Havent heard of this traitor yet new name to me wonder what party he is in anyone wanna bet Democrat of course

I don't think DeFazio's a traitor, just another middle-of-the-herd politician about to do something stoopid...

(D-OR) plans to submit a resolution "expressing the sense of the Congress that the President cannot initiate military action against Iran without congressional authorization" soon. He also plans to send his letter to other House members to get their signatures.

Good idea. Then everyone will be on record, won't they?

GWB should offer to sign it, even though it's a non-binding resolution. That way he'll acknowledge not only that Congress has the power to initiate hostilities, but also the responsibility.

Citing Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution ("The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into actual Service of the United States..."), DeFazio wrote, "We are writing to remind you that you are constitutionally bound to seek congressional authorization before launching any preventive military strikes against Iran."
That way we can debate until hell freezes over and at the same time tell the Iranians in detail what we are planning so they can get well prepared like the Iraqis in 03. Thats right the insurgency wasnt planned ahead of time or weapons hid all over or anything and ohh yeah those WMD were not moved RIGHT

There were similar moves in the run-up to GWI, as well as to GWII. They pretty much forgotten now. One reason for that is that the people who were pushing them want them forgotten.

DeFazio condemned the repetitive intentional misinterpretation of the clause with the aim of using it to justify unilateral military actions by U.S. presidents without authorization of Congress. "Contrary to your Administration's broad reading, nothing in the history of the "Commander-in-Chief" clause suggests that the authors of the provision intended it to grant the Executive Branch the authority to engage U.S. forces in military action whenever and wherever it sees fit without any prior authorization from Congress," writes DeFazio. "The founders of our country intended this power to allow the President to repel sudden attacks and immediate threats, not to unilaterally launch, without congressional approval, large-scale preventive military actions against foreign threats that are likely years away from materializing," DeFazio adds.

Of course, he could also use the authority to respond to the extant Iranian incursions into Iran, both through proxies like Tater and the presence of Hezbollah and the Basij within Iraq.

Liberal Democrats strongly opposed the Bush administrations decision to go to war in Iraq, and now theyre trying to stop the government from committing the same offense, but, according to analysts, theres a fat chance President Bush would listen.
for our childrens sake I pray he dont listen.

I think military action will come, and I think it'll come in response to an overt Iranian military action against us or against Israel, possibly against the Brits despite the fact that Tony's determined to stay out of it. The ayatollahs are working themselves up to something big, and they think they have the resources to carry it off.

Political experts suggest that a war on Iran is imminent, given the U.S. deteriorating situation in Iraq, which would allow Iran intervene to support the country Shias ...
What they arent doing that NOW. More like it would divert those supplies to homeland defense. Kind of like the whole fight em over their so we dont have to fight em over here strategy but localized to the theater.

We wouldn't put up with Iranian troops in Iraq. That'd be the trigger to throw them out, and then to destroy their home bases but not necessarily with ground forces. They're either forgetting about the air war, or they've got a lot of misplaced faith in Russian antiaircraft systems that didn't work for Sammy.

And I take exception to the remark, 'deteriorating situation'. It's deteriorating for the jihadis and the Sunni hard boyz, and it's going to deteriorate in the near future for Tatar, but for us?

... also with the near launch of Iran's Bourse that threatens the U.S. hegemony and the once strong American economy.
Back to the old its all about OIL conspiracies

That's not an "all about oil" cliche. That's a delusion of adequacy, thinking that Iran's stock market is going to topple "U.S. hegemony."

Wonder if the Iranian Bourse is priced in Euros?

The war in Iraq is viewed by most of the U.S. Democrats as the governments biggest mistake. The U.S. launched Iraq war on the ~~incorrect~~ false pretext that the toppled leader of the country possessed weapons of Mass Destruction and had ties to Al Qaeda network, which they U.S. blames for September 11 attacks.
Maybe those Dems should spend some time reading the translated documents that is showing just how tied Saddam was to AQ down to financing AQ allies (Abu Sayaf) and meeting with ranking AQ months before 9-11

The antiwar wing of the Dems regards the Iraq war as their big opportunity. But they've consistently been fighting Vietnam over and over again, as though there's never been another war, anywhere or at any time.

Now the U.S. government is using the same scenario, to launch a military strike against Iran, claiming that the Islamic Republic is developing a nuclear weapons program.
I guess they thought we were kidding when we said the that Afghanistan and Iraq were but some of many phases in the WOT.

I don't think they thought we were kidding. We're fighting against an enemy, and there are strategists and tacticians on each side. We're witnessing move and countermove. If Iran falls, it will take out the center of Shiite terrorism. Syria falls, Hezbollah's left naked, Paleo Islamic Jihad falls, and all the regional Hezbollahs evaporate. There's no more funding for them because there's not a comparable Shiite state until the southern part of Iraq is back on its feet. That's why they're fighting the proxy war in Iraq so hard, because they're caught between Iraq and Afghanistan. If both states were to become stable democracies Iran would be physically as well as ideologically isolated.

Link

Southeast Asia

More info on Rajah Solaiman Movement

2005-12-21

Intelligence officials in Manila say the arrest of the leader of a group of radical Muslim converts may have averted terrorist attacks in the capital over the holiday period. A senior army intelligence officer said that Pio de Vera, allegedly the number two of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), was captured last week in Zamboanga, on the southern island of Mindanao. The revelation comes on the heels of a report by the International Crisis Group on the danger that radicalised Muslim converts pose to the Philippines, by providing a logistical base in Manila for other more established terror groups.

"We have pre-empted what we believe was a major terror plot by Muslim militants to bomb night spots in the capital over the Christmas holidays," the official said.

In a report entitled "Philippines Terrorism:The Role of Militant Islamic Converts", published on Monday, the International Crisis Group (ICG) warns of increasingly close contact between Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) and Islamist terror formations Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. RSM is the extremist wing of the Balik-Islam movement, literally 'return to Islam'.

The ICG notes that most RSM members live between Manila and the northern region of Luzon, while JI and Abu Sayyaf have their strongholds in the island of Mindanao, in the south. The arrest of Pio De Vera (RSM) in Mindanao would appear to confirm their concerns.

The Brussels-based ICG, which focuses on conflict prevention and resolution, suggests that the collaboration between RSM JI and Abu Sayyaf has paradoxically been fostered by a series of anti-terrorism measures adopted by the Philippines government in recent years. In the peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Manila forced the Islamist group to cut its links with various terror groups to whom it had offered sanctuary.

The MILF is one of the groups which is fighting for the creation of an Islamic state on Mindanao where it controls a few provinces. Since other terror operators were no longer welcome in the MILF camps they had to seek contacts and support elsewhere.

Other factors which encouraged JI and Abu Sayyaf to seek new partners were the successes obtained by the security forces against them and the operations of the Filipino army helped by the American marines, on the island of Basilan, the historic headquarters of Abu Sayyaf.

Welcoming them with open arms, the report notes, are members of RSM who live mainly in the capital.

The Rajah Solaiman Movement was founded in January 2002 by Ahmed Santos who abandoned Catholicism in 1993.

From its foundation, RSM has made giant leaps and the Filipino police say that it has collaborated with JI and Abu Sayaf in various terrorist attacks in the capital. According to the US daily, the Christian Science Monitor, a member of Balik Islam movement had admitted responsibility for a bomb that went off on a ferry boat leaving Manila in February 2004. The bomb killed more than 100 people.

RSM is a minority inside Balik Islam and experts say that comes from their desire to prove they are "true Muslims".

Balik Islam literally means "return to Islam" and its adherents believe that all individuals are born free of sin and are Muslims. And those that deviate are those that follow the wrong teachings of their parents and guardians. Following that, according to the Balik Islam, to abandon other faiths in favour of Islam is therefore not a conversion but instead a "return".

Apart from East Timor, the Philippines is the only Asian country with a Christian-Catholic majority. Leaders of Balik Islam argue that before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors the Philippines was a Muslim nation. But historians point out that the main indigenous belief system was animism, until Muslim colonisers arrived in the mid 1300s, followed by the Catholic Spaniards some two hundred years later.

According to some sources there are more than 200,000 Balik Islam members in Manila and surrounding areas. Most of them have 'returned' to Islam by marriage or after long stints working in Saudi Arabia.

Link

Southeast Asia

Abu Sayyaf planning Holy Week offensive

2005-03-20

Chief Arturo Lomibao said Friday there is indeed a plan by the terror group Abu Sayyaf to sow terror during the Holy Week by bombing Catholic churches and shopping centers in Metro Manila and other urban areas.

But Lomibao assured that the police are on full alert and that strict security measures in public places are in place.

Catholic churches however are taking precautions as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has ordered the tightening of security in the places of worship.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Friday government security measures that are in place nationwide will thwart the Abu Sayyafâs threats of attacks during the Holy Week.

"I think the security agencies are doing a very, very good job of taking care of our security," Arroyo said in a media interaction in her visit to Lamitan, Basilan.

"I do not want to micromanage when the agencies are doing very good jobs. So, I have no directives to them. They know what to do," she said.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. revealed Friday that Baguio City is a target of terrorists.

Catholic churches across the country will be packed with people who will do the traditional Visita Iglesia and attend Lenten rites starting Sunday.

State Prosecutor Peter Medalle of the Department of Justice (DOJ), who has been handling cases against the terror group, earlier revealed that an informant told him about a plan by the Abu Sayyaf to conduct bombings in Metro Manila and other major cities nationwide.

Medalle said the bombing missions had been planned long before the failed jailbreak and takeover by detained Abu Sayyaf leaders and members of the Metro Manila Rehabilitation Center (MMRC) in Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila.

Twenty-three people, including three ranking Abu Sayyaf leaders and a policeman, were killed in the assault on the MMRC.

The deaths of the Abu Sayyaf leaders reportedly hastened the timetable for the bombings, Medalle said.

Lomibao said Catholic churches are not the only bombing targets of the Abu Sayyaf but also shopping malls.

Lomibao said Gamal Baharan alias Boy Negro, who supplied the explosive used to bomb a passenger bus last February 14 that killed four people and wounded 105 others, had revealed that five Abu Sayyaf members were ordered to bomb shopping malls in Metro Manila, particularly in the dry goods section where fire can easily spread.

Lomibao appealed to the public to remain calm but vigilant.

Cartographic sketches of wanted Abu Sayyaf members will be posted in public areas, he added.

Lomibao assured that there will be no persecution or unwarranted arrests of Muslims as the police crack down on suspected Abu Sayyaf members roaming the country.

Catholic churches in Metro Manila have tightened security for the Holy Week to ensure that no untoward incident would take place.

Monsignor Hernando Coronel, secretary-general and spokesman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said Catholic churches have beefed up security personnel and assigned additional staffers to check suspicious-looking people who may attempt to sow terror.

He said in the Manila Cathedral alone, additional guards were employed to ensure the safety of parishioners.

Aside from additional security personnel, the cathedral will only have one entry and one exit for the churchgoers to prevent any terrorists from carrying out their devious plan.

Despite a threat to bomb churches, Coronel said it should not stop Catholics from attending Church activities on Holy Week.

"Take proper precaution just to be on the safe side," he said adding that instead of worrying about threat, Catholics should focus on Jesus Christâs passion, his death and resurrection.

"Let us also pray for peace and reconciliation in the country," he added.

Dagupan-Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz appealed for sobriety and peace among supporters of the killed Abu Sayyaf leaders.

"My appeal is not only to the Abu Sayaff but to all those people who will play with the lives of others to think twice," Cruz said.

He said causing chaos will only cause more damage to the countryâs investment image. "If the lives of people will be wasted and properties are destroyed, the ones who will ultimately suffer will be us also," Cruz added.

State Prosecutor Peter Medalle said he got his information on the Abu Sayyafâs planned attacks during the standoff between police and ASG detainees at Camp Bagong Diwa early this week.

Press secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said "there is no reason for the public to be alarmed" security measures are in place and law enforcers are continuously working with local government leaders down to the barangay level.

"Having learned enough lessons from recent terror attacks, we are confident the terrorists will find it more difficult to break through the collective security shield. This protective shield can be strengthened through citizensâ vigilance and alertness," Bunye said.

Meanwhile, Secretary Gonzalez revealed that "Baguio City has always been a target" by terrorists.

"It has been raised during NSC meetings (National Security Council Meetings). I would not want to make it appear that the government is paranoid," Gonzalez said as he declined to give details on other possible areas to be attacked.

Baguio is a popular summer destination for local and foreign tourists. It also hosts a number of offices, including that of the summer hall of the Supreme Court and the Presidential Mansion.

Gonzalez declined to affirm a statement made by Medalle claiming that bombings may be carried out by the Abu Sayyaf on Catholic churches in Metro Manila during the observance of Holy Week.

"I would call that information as very raw, not A-1." Gonzalez added.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Nestor Lazaro reiterated that the original plan of the detained Abu Sayyaf members had been to escape by overpowering guards during a court hearing set last Monday which was suddenly called off by the judge, an event he said which could have thrown off plans of the prisoners.

Lazaro added that information made available to them suggests that members of the group regularly received money from outside the jail averaging P5,000 a week. "We suspect the money was used for the attack, he added.

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Southeast Asia

5 Abu Sayyaf rolled up in Jolo

2005-03-01

The Philippines military says five Muslim rebels have been killed in a gunfight on the southern island of Jolo. Commander Brigadier-General Agustin Dema-ala says two soldiers have been wounded in the clash with members of the Abu Sayaf militant group, near the town of Indanan. Further to the south, on the island of Sanga-sanga, the military says 10 Abu Sayyaf militants have surrendered to the navy. The names of the militants have not been released.

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Southeast Asia

Report of Janjalani in Sabah may be a false alarm

2004-12-01

The latest Philippines claim that top Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and a group of about 20 followers had escaped into Sabah may be a false alarm. "We believe it is a false alarm. There is no indication showing that Janjalani and his group had entered Sabah," state's Fifth Infantry Brigade Brig Jen Mohd Shahrin Abdul Majid said yesterday. The latest claim came from Tawi Tawi governor Sadikul Sahali who claimed the leader of the Abu Sayaff with links to Jemaah Islamiah had "escaped to Mardanas and Mamanok islands in Malaysia" from Sibutu town in Tawi Tawi. Brig Jen Mohd Shahrin said security forces stayed on high alert against any intrusions.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines accuses Abu Sayaff over raids

2004-09-21

The Abu Sayaff rebel group has been accused of conducting a fresh series of attacks in the southern Philippines. Our correspondent in Manila, Shirley Escalante, reports 40 bandits stormed two villages in the south Monday and held about 30 families hostage. The bandits then fled to the mountains carrying the villagers produce. There are no reports of casualties. Last week, a band of 30 extremists attacked a police detachment in the southern Philippines. This prompted a gun battle which injured a soldier and an undetermined number of bandits. Meantime a Philippine congressman says he received reports that two top leaders of the the Abu Sayaff group have recently escaped to Malaysia. The military says it is still verifying this report with Malaysian authorities.

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Southeast Asia

Jojo nabbed, 90 MILF hard boyz call it quits

2004-09-09

Philippine troops have captured a commander of the Abu Sayaf Muslim extremist group who the military previously claimed it killed in a clash last year, an official said yesterday. Marines arrested Javier Soriano, also known as Jojo Rasul, at his hideout on Monday in Jolo town in southern Sulu province, said Brigadier General Agustin Dema-ala, head of a regional anti-insurgency force. Soriano has been linked to a number of kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent band loosely linked to al-Qaida and listed by Washington as a terrorist group. Authorities were offering a 150,000-peso (US$2,600) reward for his capture.

Last year, the military said he was slain during a clash with soldiers in Sulu. Captured guerrillas and informants later revealed he survived and led the military to his hideout, Dema-ala said. Soriano, who was being interrogated, has allegedly worked under Ghalib Andang, a senior Abu Sayaf commander captured in December also in Sulu province, about 940 kilometers south of Manila. Authorities have charged Andang with organizing the 2000 kidnapping of 21 people, including 10 Western tourists, from Sipadan island resort in neighboring Malaysia. The hostages were later freed in exchange for large ransoms, reportedly financed by Libya. Andang has denied involvement. U.S.-backed offensives have whittled down the Abu Sayaf from a peak strength of more than 1,000 men in 2001 to about 300 today, the military says.

Ninety guerrillas from the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front have surrendered to the army in the southern Philippines before peace negotiations, the military said yesterday. The rebels turned themselves in on Monday and handed over a cache of weapons to the 602nd Infantry Brigade in the town of Carmen in the main southern island of Mindanao, the military said in a statement. "The rebels are presently undergoing custodial debriefing," it said.

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Terror Networks

MUSLIM ON-GOING CONFLICTS IN THE WORLD

2004-08-07

COMPILED BY MICHAELSAVAGE.COM

AFGHANISTAN: The war in Afghanistan is ongoing. Since Soviet troops withdrew, various Afghan groups have tried to eliminate their rivals. Although the Taliban strengthened their position in 1998 they have not achieved their final objective. Afghanistan harbours Osama bin Ladin, a wealthy Saudi Arabia dissident responsible for terrorist acts around the world. On 11 September 2001 members from bin Ladin's el Qaeda group highjacked 4 passenger jets in the USA, crashing one into the Pentagon and 2 into the World Trade Center, killing more than 2,000 citizens. The USA and its allies declared war on terrorism and counter-attacked, removing the Taliban from power. The war on terrorism and the el Qaeda continues.

ALGERIA: Armed Islamic groups formed and since 1992 have carried out attacks on key economic points, security forces, officials and foreigners. In 1995 Algeria's first multiparty presidential elections were held and the incumbent president Liamine Zeroual won 60% of the votes in a poll with a 75% turnout. The first multiparty legislative elections were held in June 1997 which were won by the National Democratic Rally, which holds the majority of seats along with the FLN. Although the armed wing of the FIS declared a ceasefire in October 1997, an extremist splinter group, the Islamic Armed Group (GIA), continued attacks. There is also evidence that many attacks are carried out by militias backed by the Algerian security forces. After years of civil strife, Amnesty International estimates that around 80,000 people have died
The Caucasus and Russia: The Central Asian republics have a long history of conflicts. Fighting breaks out regularly between warlords and religious groups calling for the establishment of Islamic states outside the Russian Federation. Russia is trying to hold on to the federation because the Caucasus is a vital supply route for the oil riches of the Caspian and Black Sea. With the break-up of the Soviet Union various groups fought for control in the republics. Conflicts from one republic spills over to the other and they continually blame each other for attacks. Chechnya, still part of Russia, was flung in an almost full-scale war in 1994-96 and, after a disastrous campaign, Russia was forced to re-evaluate its involvement in the area. In August 1999 Russia stepped up security in the Caucasus region as rebels from within Dagestan - a small republic where more than 100 languages are spoken - went on the attack in support of Chechnyan Muslim groups who claim independence from Russia. In September 1999 Russia launched a ground invasion into the area to cut rebels off from Central Asian supply routes. By January 2000 Russia was once again involved in a full scale conflict in Chechnya. The Caucasus issue is complicated by the more than 50 different ethnic groups each insisting to proclaim their religious convictions on the area. The situation holds serious danger for neighbouring countries, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Russia itself.

EYGPT: Fundamentalist Muslim rebels seek to topple the secular Egyptian government. At least 1,200 people have perished since the beginning of the rebellion. The conflict was primarily waged as an urban guerrilla/terrorist war. The opposition Muslim Brotherhood took part in elections in 2000, indicating that they felt armed force would not work.

INDONESIA: The struggle on the Indonesia islands is complicated by leaders of pro- and anti-independence movements, and by religious conflicts. More than 500 churches have been burned down or damaged by Muslims over the past six years. Both the Christians and Muslims blame each other for the violence and attempts at reconciliation made little progress. After a bloody struggle East Timor gained independence in 1999. The hostilities on other islands continue to claim dozens of lives, to such an extent that the break-up of Indonesia seem imminent.

INDIA/PAKISTAN: Muslim separatists in the Indian section declared a holy war against the mostly-Hindu India and started attacks in 1989, mainly from Pakistan-occupied section of Kashmir, and from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The conflict continues, with Pakistan also crushing rebellions with brute force in their section.

IRAQ: Supports Islamic terrorist acts around the world. Differing culture and religious groups within Iraq continues to clash with Shiite Muslims.

ISRAEL: Within its own borders, Israel continues to battle various Muslim organizations that seek independence for a Palestine state, areas made up of the Gaza strip, West.Bank, and part of Jerusalem. There is heavy international pressure on Israel to recognise a Palestinian state. The area of what today is Palestine was settled by Semitic tribes at a very early date. It was then called Canaan, and controlled by Canaanite tribes for more than 1,000 years. In about 1500 BC Hebrew, or Jewish, tribes began to enter the area. They later came into conflict with a people of Greek origin known as the Philistines. It is from them that the term Palestine is derived.

IRAN: After the Iranian Revolution in 1979 toppled the government of the Shah, the Mujahadeen Khalq soon began a bloody guerrilla war against the new Islamic government. The Mujahadeen are currently based in Iraq and conduct cross-border raids into Iran, as well as conducting urban guerrilla operations in the cities and conducting political assassinations. Iran occasionally launches raids against Khalq bases in Iraq.

KOSOVO: The ethnic Albanian KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) in this Serbian province fought a guerilla war against Serbia to claim the region. Beginning in February 1999, Albanians were forced out of the province, prompting NATO to attack Serbia. By July 1999 Serb troops were forced out of Kosovo, only to open an avenue for Albanian Kosovars to attack Serb Kosovars. The Albanian Muslims have since burned down dozens of centuries-old Christian churches. In an effort to establish a Greater Albania, Albanian Muslim rebels also launched attacks in Macedonia.

NIGERIA: There are violent religious clashes in the city of Kaduna in northern Nigeria beginning February 21 2004 and have continued. Kaduna is the second largest city in the north. The clashes followed a march by tens of thousands of Christians to protest the proposal to introduce Muslim sharia law as the criminal code throughout Kaduna state. Reports speak of rival armed gangs of Christians and Muslims roving the streets. Churches and mosques have been put to the torch. Corpses were seen lying in the streets and people's bodies hanging out of cars and buses, apparently killed while attempting to flee the violence. Local human rights workers said that more than 400 had been killed as a result of the clashes.

SUDAN: The largest country in Africa, has been plagued by a succession of unstable civilian and military governments since it gained independence in 1956 from an Anglo-Egyptian condominium. The long-running conflict continues between the Arab Muslim northerners of Sudan, (the base of the government), and the African Christians of the south. In the mid-90s Sudan was home to Osama bin Ladin, the international terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center attack. It is estimated that more than 1,2 million people have been killed in the Sudan war, brining devastation to the Sudanese economy.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: At war with terrorism.

PHILIPPINES: The Phillipines armed forces, with assistance of US troops, are fighting Moslem rebels - they have been linked to Osama bin Laden's el Qaeda terrorist group - on the southern islands of the country. Muslim rebel groups seek autonomy/independence from the mostly Christian Philippines. One rebel group, the Abu Sayaf Group, is believed linked to Osama bin-Laden's Al-Qaida. This connection, plus their tactic of kidnapping and beheading Americans, led the United States to send Special Forces to aid the Philippine Army.

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