Filipino-Indonesian terror link seen
By Carlos H. Conde International Herald Tribune
Friday, January 14, 2005
Expert cites actions by at least 5 groups
MANILA As many as five terror groups from Indonesia are operating in the Philippines, participating in terrorist plots and establishing links with local extremists, an American expert on terrorism said Thursday.

These groups have operated in the Philippines for some time but their involvement in recent attacks here indicates a growing presence, which could complicate the war on terror in Southeast Asia, said the expert, Sidney Jones, who has extensively studied Jemaah Islamiyah, the Indonesian terrorist organization that reportedly has ties to Al Qaeda. Jones is project director for Southeast Asia of the International Crisis Group, which is based in Brussels.

Members of the groups had cooperated with Filipino terrorists in attacks in the southern Philippines, such as in the cities of General Santos and Davao in 2003, Jones said at a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.

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