Moro rebels’ lair closely watched for JI training

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — The military has tightened anew its surveillance of a rebel enclave at the Maguindanao-Lanao del Sur boundary following the reported resurgence there of joint guerrilla training by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

However, Col. Horacio Lactao, commander of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade based at Camp Abubakar, the MILF’s former bastion, told a local TV station the other day that due to the ceasefire, soldiers cannot just break through enemy lines and check the reported presence of JI recruits at Mt. Cararao.

Cararao is a known rebel stronghold at the hinterland boundary of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

"We can only ask the joint ceasefire committee to investigate this and come up with a consensus on how to address this security concern," Lactao told the ABS-CBN station in nearby Cotabato City.

Lactao said they have been receiving persistent feedback from Muslim residents around Camp Abubakar on the presence of young recruits reportedly being trained in handling explosives and fabricating improvised bombs using mortar rounds and anti-tank B-40 rockets.

Camp Abubakar is now a peace zone where dozens of government rehabilitation projects are being carried out.

Muslim religious leaders in Parang town in the second district of Maguindanao, said they are convinced that the Jan. 4 bombing of a crowded gymnasium near their town hall, was not politically motivated but a "test mission" for JI recruits trained at Mt. Cararao.

The blast, which left 22 people dead and 71 others wounded, including outgoing Parang Mayor Vivencio Bataga, was the worst-ever in the history of Maguindanao, a known hotbed of religious fundamentalism and secessionist movements.

Among those reportedly spotted in the gym an hour before the blast was an Indonesian named Julkifli, one of those who frequented the Cotabato City safehouse of Taufek Refque, alleged JI bagman who is now detained at Camp Crame.

Bataga, who lost his re-election, has blamed his political rivals for the bombing.