Now is the time to wipe out local terror groups, says PNP exec

MANILA, Philippines—The killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden could spell doom for the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.

“The PNP firmly believes that the operations of local terrorists will slow down with Osama bin Laden’s killing,” the PNP spokesman, Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., said.

Speaking in a news briefing, Cruz said Bin Laden’s death was a big blow to the capability of local terrorists to carry out attacks because they “lost the symbol of terrorism.”

“They (local terrorists) will lose support in terms of training and experience. They will also lose financial assistance,” he said. “The terrorists just lost the symbol of terrorism.”

Government forces have long suspected that the Abu Sayyaf, Rajah Sulaiman Movement and other local terror groups in Mindanao had been receiving financial and technical assistance from the al-Qaida through the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah.

Cruz said this suspicion was bolstered by the reported deaths of some Filipinos who were allegedly undergoing training with al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan a few years ago.

He then called on the Muslim community to cooperate with the government in licking terrorism, especially in southern Philippines.

He also hinted that the government might initiate offensive actions against the Abu Sayyaf, saying “now is the best time” to eliminate the local terrorists.

“We call on our Muslim brothers to join us in our fight against terrorism. We know that Islam does not tolerate terrorism. It’s the bane of our society,” he said, adding:

“We should come together. Now is the best time to neutralize the terrorists. This is our best chance.”

Cruz also urged the public to stay calm amid reports that Bin Laden’s local followers might launch sympathy attacks in the country.

According to him, PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo had placed the entire 135,000-strong police force on full alert on Monday shortly after US President Barack Obama announced that American forces had killed Bin Laden in Pakistan.

“We in the Armed Forces and the PNP are ready to provide security for the whole nation,” Cruz said.

Although the PNP’s intelligence units have not gathered reports about the prospect of retaliatory assaults from the Abu Sayyaf, he said the police have not been discounting such a possibility.

He said at least 500 personnel of the elite PNP Special Action Force were deployed in Tawi-tawi and Basilan, known strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf.