Posted on 03/01/2003 9:42:02 AM PST by Steel Wolf
Iraqis aiding us, Abu leader admits
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- An Abu Sayyaf leader has revealed that the kidnap-for-ransom gang receives money from people close to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi financial support for the extremist group, which now styles itself as the Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiya (Islamic Movement), started coming in when the Abu Sayyaf was able to demonstrate that it was capable of putting the Philippines in a bad light, said Hamsiraji Sali, a bandit leader based in Basilan.
"We showed this by kidnapping more than 70 people in Tumahubong and Sinangkapan," Sali said in a phone interview.
The bandit leader was referring to the mass abduction that took place on March 20, 2000 in Sumisip and Tuburan towns in which 78 schoolteachers and students, including the late Claretian missionary Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, were taken hostage. Sali said the Abu Sayyaf received about one million pesos each year from its allies and supporters in Iraq. "So we would have something to spend on chemicals for bomb-making and for the movement of our people in Mindanao," he said.
Sali said the group's firearms were being provided by some contacts in the Middle East. He said the firearms were transported to Mindanao by way of Cambodia and Vietnam. "Then somebody receives them in Malaysia and sends them to the Philippines," Sali said.
Sali, who was a key leader in the Abu Sayyaf hostage-taking in Sipadan, Malaysia and the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, said corrupt soldiers and military officials also supplied the group with firearms. "But I won't identify them because they might not sell to us again," he said.
During the interview, Sali said he had relocated to Central Mindanao, but not to hide. He said he was supervising the Abu Sayyaf's renewed attacks on the government.
Sali has claimed that he and some 90 Abu Sayyaf terrorists were in Central Mindanao to carry out economic sabotage operations through bombings. "We won't stage kidnappings or beheadings in the meantime. We will sabotage the economy by destroying all electric posts, towers and lines," he said.
But the military has dismissed his claims, saying it was the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that staged the attacks. "It's just a diversionary tactic by the MILF to escape blame," Lt. Col. Michael Manquiquis, the Armed Forces spokesperson.
The military maintains that the MILF carried out the series of bombings that toppled power transmission towers in Maguindanao this week in retaliation against the capture of its camp in North Cotabato two weeks ago.
Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the Army's 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, said the military has deployed a number of intelligence operatives to track down Sali's hideout in Central Mindanao even as he disputed claims that Sali's arrival in the region was behind the recent series of explosions. He said the bombing of the Cotabato City airport and the sabotaging of power lines of the National Power Corp. were meant to divert the military's attention from its offensive against the MILF in Pikit, North Cotabato.
"What reports we received from our men in the field say all these attacks, including (the bombing of) the transmission towers of the National Power Corp., were really perpetrated by the MILF," Ando said. Manquiquis said the evidence pointed to the MILF as the culprit, pointing out that the mortar shells used in the attacks were part of the secessionist group's artillery. "We suspect that this was the work of the MILF-SOG (special operations group), the group trained in bombings," he said.
I am concerned, on the other hand, that many of these groups wouldn't be viable without support from nation states, and that we need to cut off their suppliers, and take the groups themselves out.
This isn't the greatest reason, however, to get rid of Hussein. He poses a significant danger to the region and ultimately to us. He has the abililty and willingness to pay whatever he has to pay to see that someone delivers a suitcase nuke or biological weapon to Times Square or the Chicago Loop or to the Renaissance Center in Detroit. We cannot allow that to happen.
Then you are woefully misinformed.
Abu Nidal, Abu Abbas, Direct payments to Hamas, bounty to the families of homicide bombers, Zarkawi...
Baghdad is the last refuge of wanted terrorists and has been for all my adult years.
I can see your typical dipwad peace protester slamming his placard down in disgust, yelling "Godd*mmit!! If we're going to march out here in the cold and rain, I'll be damned if those idiots don't learn how to lie like a Clinton! They're making us look bad!"
That Island has always been a hot spot!!
Let' see...Terry Nichols, Ramzi Yousef, the Huks.
About the only way to deter it is to use pig grease on your weapons!
Iraqis helping Abu Sayyaf - Sali
Zamboanga |From Al Jacinto | 03-03-2003
Hamsiraji Sali, an Abu Sayyaf leader based in Basilan province, claims that the group has been receiving P1 million ($18,518) every year as war funding from people close to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
"So we would have something to spend on chemicals for bomb-making and for the movement of our people in Mindanao," Sali said.
He noted that the financial support for the group, which now styles itself as the Al Harakatul Al Islamiya, started pouring in when the Abu Sayyaf demonstrated that it was capable of putting the Philippines in a bad light.
"We showed this by kidnapping more than 70 people in Tumahu-bong and Sinangkapan," Sali said, referring to the mass abduction that took place on March 20, 2000, in Sumisip and Tuburan towns, when 78 schoolteachers and pupils were taken hostage.
He said the group's firearms, transported to Mindanao via Cambodia and Vietnam, were being provided by some contacts in the Middle East. "Then somebody receives them in Malaysia and sends them to the Philippines."
Sali, who was a key leader in the Abu Sayyaf hostage-taking in Sipadan, Malaysia, and the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, central Philippines, said corrupt soldiers and military officials also supplied the group with firearms. "But I won't identify them because they might not sell to us again."
He denied reports that he has been in hiding, although he admitted that he had relocated to central Mindanao because he has been supervising the Abu Sayyaf's renewed attacks on the government in the area.
He claimed he and 90 group members were in central Mindanao to carry out economic sabotage operations through bombings. "We won't stage kidnappings or beheadings in the meantime," Sali said. "We will sabotage the economy by destroying all electric posts, towers and lines."
The military, meanwhile, dismissed Sali's claims, saying it was the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that staged the recent attacks. "It's just a diversionary tactic by the MILF to escape blame," Lt Col Michael Manquiquis, the Armed Forces spokesman, said.
"We suspect that this was the work of the MILF-SOG (special operations group), the group trained in bombings," he said.
The military said that the MILF carried out the series of bombings that toppled power transmission towers in Maguindanao this week in retaliation against the capture of its camp in north Cotabato two weeks ago.
Maj Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the army's 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, said the military has deployed a number of intelligence operatives to track down Sali's hide-out in central Mindanao.
He said the bombing of the Cotabato City airport and the sabotaging of power lines of the National Power Corporation were meant to divert the military's attention from its offensive against the MILF in Pikit town, north Cotabato.
Meanwhile, Tahir Alonto, head of the central Mindanao faction of the Pentagon kidnap gang, escaped a military dragnet in Sultan Kudarat province over the weekend, but soldiers killed three of his men, the military said.
Maj Ando said Special Forces soldiers raided a house suspected of being Alonto's hideout in Lagao village in Lambayong town. Backed by four Simba armoured carriers, the soldiers closed in on the house, prompting seven men, including Alonto, to flee.
Maj Ando said pursuing soldiers discovered the bodies of three suspects along the tributary leading to the Liguasan marshland. "These were turned over to local officials for proper burial unless relatives claim them."
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