Abu Sayyaf threat in PH stays despite Bin Laden’s death

MANILA, Philippines—Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, killed by US special forces in Pakistan on Monday, never set foot in the Philippines but he was an inspiration for terrorist groups, like the Abu Sayyaf, operating in the remote southern Philippine isles.

On Sept. 11, 2001, when hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon—symbols of US economic and military might—armed men in the jungles of Basilan raised their guns and exclaimed, “Allahu Akbar (God is Great)!”

They were members of the Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiya, or the Abu Sayyaf Group, a gang involved in bombing attacks and kidnap-for-ransom activities.

Their jubilation was witnessed by several hostages they had taken from the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan, the Jose Reyes Hospital in Lamitan and a coconut plantation in Tuburan. The hostages included the American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham.

2 Yemenis

The Burnhams were not the only foreigners in the area. There were also two Yemenis, who joined the Abu Sayyaf in expressing their glee as they listened to accounts of the deadliest terror attack on American soil.

After the jubilation, the Yemenis led the group in prayer, stayed for the night and left the following day.

This correspondent reported in the Philippine Daily Inquirer the presence of the two Yemenis in Basilan a few weeks after the 9/11 attack, based on an account given by a construction worker taken hostage from Golden Harvest Coconut Plantation.

According to the hostage, the Yemenis left with two top Abu Sayyaf commanders, the group’s chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and political and intelligence officer Abu Sulaiman. Janjalani was killed in a military assault in 2006 and Sulaiman was slain the following year.

Most of the hostages were eventually released but Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap died in a military rescue operation that led to the recovery of Burnham’s wife, Gracia.

Real purpose

The significance of the presence of the two Yemenis in Basilan was not clear then, except that they arrived days before the attack on the United States and that they spent hours talking with the top Abu Sayyaf commanders, based on accounts given by the construction worker and an eyewitness.

The real purpose of the visit of the two Arabs was explained months later by Janjalani in his talk with supporters in Mindanao.

In recorded messages obtained by intelligence units, Janjalani spoke of the need to go back to the jihadist fundamentals. He also spoke of an end to the group’s kidnapping activities.

Criminal operations, like kidnapping, had been the group’s main source of funds, especially after direct financial assistance from their Arab supporters dried up in the late 1990s following the death of the group’s founding leader, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.

Osama’s in-law

Intelligence reports had identified an Arab named Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, brother-in-law of Bin Laden, as the source of financial support for the Abu Sayyaf, especially in the group’s early years in 1988-1989.

Khalifa headed the International Islamic Research Institute (IIRI), registered as a legitimate nongovernment and non-profit organization designed to funnel financial assistance to depressed communities in Muslim Mindanao.

IIRI also gave assistance to academic institutions promoting the further study of Islam, like Al-Makhdum University in Zamboanga City.

Holy war

Although Bin Laden was never known to have been in Mindanao, his teachings about jihad (holy war) and his anti-American sentiments reached the southern islands through Khalifa and Abdurajak.

Before establishing the Abu Sayyaf, Abdurajak was a scholar in Islamic studies in Saudi Arabia. He also volunteered to fight in Afghanistan.

From Khadaffy Janjalani’s own admission, the 2001 visit of the two Yemenis meant continuation of financial support from their Arab benefactors and links with al-Qaida.

It also meant undergoing rigorous training under the tutelage of two known personalities identified with Jemaah Islamiyah, another terrorist group said to be directly linked with al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida condition

These two personalities were Omar Patek and Dulmatin, at that time already on the most wanted list of the US-based Central Intelligence Agency because of their participation in the Bali bombing in Indonesia. Patek was captured in Pakistan earlier this year.

But there was a condition attached to al-Qaida’s financial support—the Abu Sayyaf would have to launch an operation similar to the 9/11 attack on the United States, according to Abu Sayyaf commanders.

In 2005, the ASG apparently did just that, orchestrating the SuperFerry bombing near Manila Bay that killed more than 100 people.

Bin Laden did not only serve as an inspiration for the Abu Sayyaf. Through al-Qaida, he also provided funds.

Does the Abu Sayyaf link with al-Qaida end with Bin Laden’s death?

It’s not the end

The link clearly is not between personalities but among terror cells and networks.

The issuance by the United States of a global terror alert against possible retaliatory attacks appears to be a recognition that the threat of terror does not end with the death of Bin Laden.