Al-Qaeda in the East<\/p>\n
The fight against al-Qaeda terrorists has spread to Southeast
\nAsia. The arrest of a large cell in Singapore has revealed the
\noutlines of a network stretching through Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines and Indonesia, along with detailed plans for the mass
\nmurder of Americans. Officials say hundreds of foreigners may
\nhave visited a Qaeda training camp in the Indonesian jungles last
\nyear. Al-Qaeda and its allies seem to retain breathing space in
\nthis region that no longer exists in Afghanistan or Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Some Indonesian militant leaders believed to be connected to
\nOsama bin Laden are still operating openly. Although most of the
\ngovernments in the region are friendly to the United States, it
\nis not clear that the Bush administration has yet found the means
\nto adequately answer the threat.<\/p>\n
A contingent of some 600 U.S. special forces trainers and
\nsupport troops has begun arriving in the Philippines to help
\nManila's army wipe out a small Muslim insurgent organization.<\/p>\n
A more menacing threat seems to be emerging in a network known
\nas Jammaa Islamia, a Qaeda branch that authorities say has cells
\nin the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Two
\nIndonesian militant groups, Laskar Jihad and Laskar Mujahidin,
\nmay also have ties to al-Qaeda, and one may have cooperated in
\nthe operation of a Qaeda camp.<\/p>\n
But the Bush team appears unsure how to handle Indonesia,
\nwhere a fragile democratic government has been reluctant to move
\nagainst the Muslim militants for fear of provoking a domestic
\nbacklash. While the State Department recently backed continuation
\nof congressional restrictions on aid to the Indonesian military,
\nthe Pentagon separately sought and won an appropriation for a new
\ncounterterrorism training program including Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Such mixed signals are no longer affordable; the Bush
\nadministration needs a strategy and a message for Southeast Asia.
\nThat strategy must support the preservation of democratic
\ngovernments in the Philippines and Indonesia, reform of the
\nIndonesian military and greater respect for human rights in
\nMalaysia and Singapore. But it must also insist on action against
\nal-Qaeda networks and the indigenous Muslim movements that may be
\nsupporting them, and be willing to provide support for specific
\nmilitary operations. These networks are aggressively plotting to
\nkill Americans. No less than in Afghanistan, the U.S. must act
\nurgently in its own defense.<\/p>\n
-- The Washington Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/al-qaeda-in-the-east-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }