Peace talks should not stop the hunt for terrorist clones
The deadly blasts that hit Boston, the laid-back learning capital of the United States, sent jitters all over the world. The immediate reaction of the intelligence communities was to raise the red alert, on suspicion that this might be the handiwork of international terrorists.
The Philippines, like the rest of the nations, is not immune to the insanity of terrorist elements.
We have had our own share of casualties, and the horror that is being waged by these beastly groups is not alien to us. The lessons we absorbed from the horrific events we ourselves have experienced or we have read about like what took place in the 2013 Boston Marathon, tell us that while some terror groups have been eliminated, there is always the possibility that another one will emerge. It may have an international link or may just be a local clone like a benign tumor waiting to graduate into a malignant cancer.
What happened in Boston is just one of the many events that shock us when they happen. This contemptible act can happen any time even in the most advanced nations in the world. That is why, even as the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have progressed, our intelligence network as well as our peacekeeping force must not let down their guard.
Let us face it: It cannot be denied that the notorious terror bands of al-Qaida, among them the Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf, have sought shelter in MILF territories. Foreign terrorist experts have found haven in the MILF camps—to recruit and train locals in the art of making improvised explosive devices, who carry out bombing operations, the most recent of which was the daring attempt to explode bombs in Davao City. Only an alert intelligence operative prevented another bloody event with the neutralization of a Malaysian terrorist and the capture of his partner, a Filipino woman.
While we celebrate the progress of the talks between the government and the MILF, there is no guarantee that another terrorist group will not emerge. In the event that a peace agreement is eventually signed and the Bangsamoro will become a reality, the MILF will have to do a lot of “cleaning.” As the saying goes, “for sowing the wind, one will reap a whirlwind.”
—RINA DE JESUS,
Rosary Heights, Cotabato City,
