Security officials prepare for possible retaliatory attacks

MANILA, Philippines—Security officials are not discounting the possibility of retaliatory attacks in the country following the death of Osama bin Laden and these attacks could likely be carried out in some parts of Mindanao, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia said on Wednesday.

Garcia also said they have not monitored any immediate terror threat in Metro Manila but added that the government was nevertheless starting to enhance security measures to prevent these attacks from happening.

Garcia spoke to reporters after attending a Palace security cluster meeting in Malacañang called by President Benigno Aquino III, who wanted his officials to assess the security situation in the country after US forces killed bin Laden in Pakistan last Monday.

“While we can’t outrightly discount retaliatory attacks by groups sympathetic to Osama and his ideology, we have not monitored any specific threat of immediate nature of retaliatory attack on Metro Manila,” Garcia said.

He said the threat in the National Capital Region remained at the “moderate” level, which meant that “while threat groups may have the intent to undertake terrorist activities, their capabilities have not been monitored and deemed unlikely at this time.”

But the threat in Regions 9, 11, 12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao remains was “high,” as threat groups were deemed to “have intent and capability to undertake terrorist activities,” according to Garcia.

He said that these groups could conduct retaliatory attacks in these areas against the United States and its interest and allies in the war against terrorism.

Garcia said the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah were “known to have lairs and sympathizers” in these parts of Mindanao and warned they can “quickly mount without much preparation attacks against targets of opportunity.”

Among the countermeasures recommended by the security cluster was to upgrade security in critical structures like embassies of countries active in the war against terrorism, five-star hotels frequented by tourists, airports and seaports and other transport facilities as well as malls and churches.

Garcia said the military will keep up its offensive against the Abu Sayyaf “to keep them off balance and disable them to take the initiative to mount attacks,” as well as enhance coordination “to neutralize and locate high-value targets of these terror groups.”