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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: greenspirit who wrote (79606)	3/6/2003 12:04:32 AM
From: Dayuhan	Respond to of 281500

The allegations are entirely possible, though difficult to confirm. I would neither believe nor disbelieve them at face value: there’s no such thing as a credible source in that world, and I’m sure the Washington Times would be inclined to play up any Iraqi connection. Money and people from a number of Islamic radical groups are common enough down there: the Saudi “charities” are the most visible, and are undoubtedly the largest source of funds, but there could certainly be some coming from Iraqis as well. Money also comes in from groups in Indonesia and Malaysia; it’s hard to say whether or not this is pass-on money from the Middle East. It’s generally believed that the Abu Sayyaf got most of their money from ransom payments, but they certainly have enough nuisance value to qualify for aid from the Middle East. It’s a murky world, though, and who gets what from whom is pretty difficult to determine. I talk about this in more detail in another post. I don’t believe that regime change in Iraq will have any significant impact on the situation here.

To: greenspirit who wrote (79606)	3/6/2003 12:39:01 AM
From: Dayuhan	Respond to of 281500

Just noticed an odd correlation... the same Hamsiraji Sali that was quoted in the Washington Times article is now claiming that the Davao bomb was planted by the Abu Sayyaf. Local military sources are viewing this with some suspicion, saying that they think the MILF is the more likely culprit. One bit from the local news: Military officials were skeptical of the claim made by the man who said he was Sali, saying he had tried to take credit for other bombings in Mindanao. "Sali and his members are claiming a lot of things before, and, if you review the tapes of your interviews, most of them are lies," Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya told reporters. The local papers printed the text of Sali's statement, and the guy does appear to be totally off the wall: a lot of what he says is just not compatible with reality. I'd put his credibility at close to zero, and I wonder what the Washington Times is doing basing stories on his word. Note: The MILF has a known network in Davao, while the Abu Sayyaf does not. The MILF has also been bombing electrical transmission lines lately, while the Abu Sayyaf are known mainly for kidnapping. Many bombings have been blamed on the Abu Sayyaf, but evidence in most cases has been pretty scanty.