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Jemaah Islamiyah threat in Philippines ‘serious’: US envoy

MANILA: The Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist group in the southern Philippines poses a serious threat to the entire region, a special US envoy said Saturday. US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Henry Crumpton also encouraged the Philippine government to pass long-delayed counter-terrorism legislation. “The threat is very serious if you look at recent events, the intention of enemy forces, their collaborating with affiliates all around the region ... their technical skills especially in bomb-making, their tradecraft skills.” His warning came after the Philippine military said JI was still conducting training in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao where various armed Muslim groups are already operating. “There is an enormous challenge there, just in the geography. Its not just Mindanao but extends to the Sulawesi Sea ... over to Sabah, Malaysia,” Crumpton said. The Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a string of attacks in the region including the 2002 and 2005 bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali. It is considered the regional partner of the Al-Qaeda Muslim extremist network. afp

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