SE Asia making headway against terror: U.S.<\/p>\n
Reuters, Manila<\/p>\n
Southeast Asia is making headway against the threat of regional
\nterror, backed by close cooperation and sharing of intelligence,
\nthe commander of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific said on Friday.<\/p>\n
"We have made a great deal of progress on terrorism in
\nSoutheast Asia over the last 18 months," Admiral Thomas Fargo
\ntold a news conference, adding that about 140 members of the
\nMuslim militant group Jamaah Islamiah had been arrested.<\/p>\n
Washington says Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), which seeks a strict
\nIslamic state across parts of Southeast Asia, has links to Osama
\nbin Laden's al-Qaeda network that is blamed for the attacks on
\nthe United States on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n
"Certainly, the arrests that have been made in places like
\nSingapore and Malaysia and Indonesia and other countries for that
\nmatter, including the Philippines, have been very important in
\ndiminishing the capability of Jamaah Islamiah," Fargo said.<\/p>\n
"As a result of those arrests, we are gaining a bigger picture
\nof the JI and their operational planning, their ability to
\nconduct terrorist acts."<\/p>\n
But Fargo cautioned that the threat had not been eliminated
\nentirely.<\/p>\n
"We haven't completely solved the problem with the JI and they
\ndo have the capability to conduct further attacks," he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian police have linked the group to bombings on the
\nresort island of Bali in October that killed more than 200
\npeople, mostly foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Fargo is on a three-day visit to the Philippines, a former
\nU.S. colony and close ally of Washington, to discuss security
\nissues with local officials.<\/p>\n
U.S. and Philippine troops are due to hold a second round of
\njoint exercises this year to help local units fight the Abu
\nSayyaf, a kidnap-for-ransom gang linked by Washington to al-
\nQaeda.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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