Al-Qaeda network has 'toehold' in Indonesia, U.S. warns<\/p>\n
Belinda Goldsmith, Reuters, Canberra<\/p>\n
A top U.S. security official said on Thursday there was evidence
\nthat Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda militant network had established
\na toehold in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.<\/p>\n
Paul Fujimura, the U.S. State Department's counter-terrorism
\nofficer for East Asia and the Pacific, said the hardline Islamic
\nnetwork was creating new bases after fleeing Afghanistan during a
\nU.S.-led assault to retaliate for the Sept. 11 air attacks.<\/p>\n
He said the fragmented geography of Indonesia, a nation of 210
\nmillion people spread over 13,667 islands, and the presence of
\nsome terrorist sympathizers was ideal for al-Qaeda militants.<\/p>\n
"We know that in Indonesia there are conditions on the ground
\nthat make it an attractive place to al-Qaeda and...other
\nterrorist groups," Fujimura told journalists in Australia during
\na two-way video conference from Washington.<\/p>\n
"We are learning things every day but there is evidence of
\nsome presence, of some foothold or toehold, (but) we are not sure
\nof the exact nature of their presence there."<\/p>\n
His warning came after the State Department released its
\nannual global terrorism report on Tuesday, cautioning the battle
\nwas far from over against al Qaeda, suspected of masterminding
\nSept. 11's hijacked airliner attacks on New York and Washington
\nwhich killed over 3,000.<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian nations, grouped in the Association of South
\nEast Asian Nations, have battled to shed an image as a haven for
\nmilitancy since evidence emerged of regional links to al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n
Indonesian officials generally deny there is proof of a
\ncurrent al-Qaeda presence in the sprawling archipelago. But
\nofficials and diplomatic sources have said foreigners linked to
\nthe group have been expelled from Indonesia on several occasions
\nand the national intelligence chief suggested at one point there
\nmay have been a temporary al-Qaeda base on an outer island.<\/p>\n
Terrorist organizations with cells linked to al Qaeda were
\nuncovered by Singapore and Malaysia late last year.<\/p>\n
Singapore detained 13 members of the Islamic militant group
\nJemaah Islamiyah last December, disrupting a plot to bomb the
\nU.S. embassy and other targets in Singapore, while Malaysia
\narrested at least 60 terrorist suspects last year.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the three countries
\nwith the region's largest Muslim populations, have signed an
\naccord to fight terrorism and crush militant groups seeking to
\ncreate a pan-regional, conservative Muslim state.<\/p>\n
But Indonesia has drawn flak for its lack of arrests as
\nneighbors, notably Singapore, say ringleaders of a suspected
\nregional network are based there.<\/p>\n
Fujimura said he was satisfied with the cooperation the United
\nStates was getting from Indonesia but there were still concerns.<\/p>\n
"When you look at some of the arrests that have been made, at
\ndifferent groups such as JI (Jemaah Islamiyah) -- they have
\nadmitted al-Qaeda ties -- and with some Indonesian individuals
\nare known to have ties to al-Qaeda, again these are indications
\nto us," he said.<\/p>\n
Fujimura urged greater regional cooperation to combat the
\nongoing threat of terrorism.<\/p>\n
"We hope to promote regional cooperation in Southeast Asia and
\nin other parts of the world...if we can leverage our resources
\nand our efforts, it will be more effective," he said.<\/p>",
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