Posted on 06/29/2003 6:32:17 AM PDT by knighthawk
HURT by arrests of key leaders, the regional Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah is reorganising and is expected to resume operations in the mid-term, US military officials told a recent intelligence meeting.
Secret documents on a conference between the US Pacific Command Air Force and the Philippine Air Force said the US assessment shows that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) "is not capable of large-scale operations" due to the disruption in its senior leadership following the arrests.
"The JI is currently reorganising around remaining sub-regional teams, re-establishing communications, and operations will resume on the midterm," Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Narciso Abaya quoted US officials as telling their Filipino counterparts during the April 30-May 4 meeting in Hawaii.
Abaya's June 21 report to Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes, a copy of which was seen by The Associated Press earlier this week, quoted US Air Force officials as saying small-scale attacks by Jemaah Islamiah were expected to continue.
During a June 6 visit to Manila, US military commander for the Pacific, Admiral Thomas Fargo, said the war on terror has greatly diminished JI's capabilities, but the group still was able to launch attacks.
It has been blamed for the October 12 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and other terror strikes.
Fargo said 140 JI members, including some key leaders, have been arrested over the past 18 months, allowing the United States and its allies to gain a better picture of its operational planning and ability to conduct terrorist acts.
But he warned that the group still has the ability to attack.
During the same exchange, the US officials said China's aircraft and weapons systems and training would allow Beijing to improve its capability to conduct maritime strikes over the next five to 10 years.
They also said they believe North Korea will continue to develop its defence system and proliferate missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction so as to declare itself a nuclear power.
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