JI training women in bomb-making, says PNP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  – The local militants of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) are reportedly training women in explosives and demolition, a security official here revealed yesterday.

Regional Integrated Police Operation chief Director Felicisimo Khu said the JI is producing a new breed of “graduates” almost every month.

Khu said intelligence reports revealed the JI group under Basit Usman have been producing new bombers.  

He said that so far this year, 53 new bombers tagged as “elite members” have graduated, mostly in Central Mindanao areas.

He said for the month of February, the terror group has produced 18 graduates who were even given certificates of graduation. The following month, Khu said the JI trained and produced 35 bombers.

“So, the training of new bombers or what we called the elite members is continuing,” he said.

Khu pointed out the alarming intelligence report that revealed Moro women have been trained by the JI during the month of June.

“We have been alarmed because this is very significant,” he said.

In Muslim culture, women are not supposed to be touched or placed in dangerous situation, Khu said.

“But letting Moro women undergo a demolition course is something very unusual, so we have to be alarmed because during the conduct of the checkpoint it’s not easy, it’s difficult for us to inspect bodily our Muslim sisters. That’s really a big problem,” he said.

Khu said counter terrorism operations have been turning positive with the recovery of the bombs manufactured by the group of Usman, a local JI leader wanted by the US government with a $1-million bounty for his arrest.

Khu said counter-terrorism operations in central Mindanao have tallied 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made by the Usman group last June which were intended for some targets in Central Mindanao last August.

One of the IEDs used as part of the car bomb was detonated by the suspect last Aug. 14 in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat that killed five people and wounded 11 others.

Khu said they managed to recover six IEDs while four others were exploded by the suspects, including another that went off prematurely in the hands of two bomb couriers.

He said the Central Mindanao terror group remained capable of deploying and exploding IEDs in the region.

“We cannot plug all the holes in Liguasan Marsh where these IEDs are being manufactured,” Khu said, as he called on citizens to be extra vigilant.

Khu, however, expressed optimism that the continuous counter-terrorism efforts have degraded terror threats.