President: terrorism links Mindanao, Iraq war

INQ7.net ^ | Mar. 29, 2003

[miltonim]

TERRORISM is the common enemy threatening the Philippines and the United States and justifies the military actions undertaken in Mindanao and in Iraq, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Saturday.

The President, in her weekly radio message, reiterated earlier statements that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's "weapons of mass destruction" might get into the hands of terrorist groups in the Philippines and be used against civilians.

"Dito natin makikita ang kaugnayan ng gera sa Iraq at ang aktibong depensa ng mga komunidad laban sa mga naghahasik ng lagim sa Mindanao, (Through this we can see the link between the war in Iraq and our own active defense against groups terrorizing Mindanao)," she said.

Government forces are engaged in military operations against the Abu Sayyaf bandit group, which is known to have links with the al-Qaeda terrorist network, and against the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front that for the last two decades has attempted to establish an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

Macapagal has pledged support for the US-led "coalition of the willing" that launched strikes against Iraq to oust Saddam and destroy alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"Now is the time to be united towards one direction," she said, as she lambasted groups who oppose her pro-war stance for "politicizing the war" and "misleading the public."

Macapagal rallied local officials down to the barangay (neigborhood) level to work hand-in-hand with the military and police in thwarting possible attacks by terrorists and "desperate extremists" in the country.

"I urge communities, especially barangay leaders to be on watch for dubious persons, movements, and objects because terrorists are fearless and could strike anytime," she said.

Ms Macapagal assured listeners that her administration was doing all it could to weather the crisis brought on by the war.

The military and the police have been placed on alert, she said. She added she has ordered the activation of monitoring teams to see to it consumers were protected against traders taking advantage of the crisis to jack up prices of basic commodities

[BurbankKarl]

Am I imagining things, or does this woman flip flop on the terror issue?

[Brian Allen]

<< ..... does this woman flip flop ..... >>

[A] Is the Pope, Catholic?

[B] Are the Kennedys drunken RICO-racketeers?

[C] Are the Rotten KKKli'toons psychopathologically-predatory, lying, looting, thieving, mass-murdering, co-serially-rapist recidivist gangster bastards?

[D] Yes -- or;

[E] All of the above?

[aristeides]

Possible Tie to Terror Found.