Secret study links al-Qaida to Philippine terror camps

AP ^ | JIM GOMEZ

[Michael Goldsberry]

Secret study links al-Qaida to Philippine terror camps

Extremist group trained foreigners there for 7 years

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - A secret government report says Muslim guerrillas in the southern Philippines have hosted terror training camps for militant groups from Indonesia and Malaysia for at least seven years - a period when Southeast Asia was plagued by bombings that have killed hundreds of people, like the Bali nightclub attack in 2002.

The training lasted at least until 19 new members of Jemaah Islamiyah - the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror group - finished in January, according to a copy of a government security assessment obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press.

The report discusses the training of foreigners from Jemaah Islamiyah and other extremist groups at the camps, regarded as a lifeline for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida following the destruction of its key training camps in Afghanistan.

U.S. and Australian officials have expressed deep concerns over persistent reports of such camps here, saying Jemaah Islamiyah could pass deadly skills to a new generation of militants capable of striking anywhere. A number of suspected Jemaah Islamiyah militants arrested in Southeast Asia have said they trained in the Philippines.

[Rutles4Ever]

Secret study links al-Qaida to Philippine terror camps

Secret? We've know this at FR for how long?

[kabar]

Add Nichols and Oklahoma City to that link.

[Gibtx]

Hucks..... been busy with the china...