Insurgency: Hamas Recruiting for Terror Attacks in Philippines

The PNP and AFP continue to tell the public that operations have been so successful against the NPA that they are no longer relevant and will soon be eliminated. They are confident that they can defeat the insurgency by June when Duterte's term ends.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167708

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said its relentless efforts to encourage members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) to return to the government's fold is slowly reaping gains, with the surrender of a high-ranking communist couple to the Caraga police on Feb. 12.

“This is an example that the PNP has always been open for diplomatic communication projecting a peaceful resolution gearing towards ending any form of conflict that may trigger violence,” said PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos, in a statement.

Elsewhere the AFP has successfully dismantled another NPA stronghold in Mindanao.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168058

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino visited and congratulated members of the 1003rd Infantry “Raptor” Brigade for dismantling a sub-regional committee of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), the 10th Infantry Division (10ID) said Friday.

Last month, the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) confirmed that they have dismantled the Sub-Regional Committee 5, Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SRC 5, SMRC), after 12 of its top-ranking leaders surrendered on January 13.

In a statement, the 10ID said Centino visited the 1003rd Brigade on February 16 and congratulated the units under the Eastmincom for their campaign of dismantling SRC 5 and the neutralization of NPA leaders Jorge Madlos alias Ka Oris and Menardo Villanueva alias Bok, among others.

"I make it a point to reach out, to see for myself the situation of our troops. As a commander and Chief of Staff, I take it upon myself to personally rally our troops and lead from the front," Centino said.

He also encouraged the troops not to let their guard down to produce a decisive result in defeating the communist group as only five months left before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down in June.

"Don't let your guard down." In Negros guards are going up as the NPA has been in attack mode recently. This time they wounded two cops with a landmine.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167856

All stations and units under the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) have strengthened security operations after two policemen were wounded in a roadside blast perpetrated by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in the southern town of Binalbagan on February 13.

“After the incident, we have switched to full alert status. We don’t want any incident like that to happen again in our police stations especially those in vulnerable areas,” said Lt. Abegael Donasco, the NOCPPO spokesperson, in a virtual press conference on Tuesday.

During the encounter in Barangay Bi-ao, Lt. Charles Richard Casalan, deputy chief of Binalbagan Municipal Police Station, and Cpl. Julius Tranquillero were injured when the NPA rebels detonated an anti-personnel mine by the roadside.

The rebels fired at the team while responding to a call for police assistance in a sitio where a man was found dead.

When the police fired back, the enemy set off the landmine.

It was not only two PNP officers who were wounded in this attack but also a 15-year old boy was struck by a stray bullet. It's strange there is not an outcry about the 15-year old like there was about the two boys in Samar who were killed by the NPA as they accompanied a few troops. Both of these incidents in Negros and Samar show that the NPA is still active and remain a very real threat. But there is another threat facing the Philippines. Hamas.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/02/15/2160985/pnp-says-hamas-recruiting-terror-attacks-philippines

The Philippine National Police said it uncovered a terror plot by militant Islamic organization Hamas against Israelis and Arabs in the country to wage a proxy war in the country by recruiting Filipino affiliates to carry out terrorist activities against Westerners and Middle Eastern nationals.

According to a report by Police Brig. Gen. Neil Alinsangan, PNP Intelligence Group director, the conspiracy was uncovered from information disclosed by a local contact of Hamas. The plots were meant to "establish a foothold" in the Philippines by inciting violence that targets Israelis in the country, the PNP said.

The report was sent to Police Maj. Gen. Michael John Dubria, PNP director for intelligence, the PNP public information office said in a statement sent to media. 

"Our Filipino source identified the Hamas operative as 'Bashir' who was reportedly attempting to establish a foothold in the Philippines with pledges of financial support to some local threat groups including militant extremists with links to the international terrorist organizations," Alinsangan said.

"Coordination and information sharing with foreign and local counterparts disclosed that Bashir’s real name is 'Fares Al Shikli' who, allegedly, is the head of Hamas’s Foreign Liaison Section. He has also an Interpol Red Notice and is charged with an Offense of Terrorism Logistic Support," he also said. 

How many Israelis are in the country to warrant such a plan? And what about the Islamic insurgency? Are there enough BIFF, ASG, Maute or other Muslim groups that would go along with this plan? They also continue to surrender.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1167813

Tired of fighting for a futile cause, 14 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) yielded to the Army’s 34th Infantry Battalion (IB) here, officials reported Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Edgardo Vilchez Jr., 34IB commander, said the BIFF members surrendered to his unit in two batches on Monday.

Vilchez said a BIFF field commander under the Kagui Karialan faction, identified as alias Malayo, was among those who surrendered along with his 12 followers and were accompanied by Norodin Akis and Dong Bantas, who are members of the Council of Elders of Midsayap.

It was followed by the surrender of another BIFF combatant identified as alias Nick Taro coming from Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao on the same day.

The 14 former BIFF extremists brought along high-powered firearms and various war materiel that included eight M1 Garand rifles, a Springfield .30-caliber sniper rifle, an M14 rifle, an M16 rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade, three .45-caliber pistols, and ammunition.

It could be that Hamas would seek to partner with the MNLF or the MILF. The MILF is still very active and they are still out to kill. At least they are killing each other.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/deadly-ambush-02122022083620.html

Armed men ambushed a two-vehicle convoy carrying a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander traveling through a southern Philippine village on Saturday, killing nine and injuring three others, authorities said.

The men attacked the convoy of Peges Mamasainged, also known as Commander Black Magic, around 8:30 a.m. in Tambunan village in Maguindanao province, according to provincial police commander Col. Jibin Bongcayao.

“The motive of the incident is the long-standing family feud of the involved parties,” the police official said.

Mamasainged, a member of the MILF’s inner guard base command, was traveling to a nearby village when he was killed along with five relatives and three unidentified individuals. Authorities did not release details on those who were injured.

Bongcayao identified MILF members Jordan Mama Lintang and his son, Morsid, as the alleged leaders of the attack. He did not say if any of the attackers were injured or if members of the convoy fired back.

MILF spokesman Von Al Haq, meanwhile, said the father and son were not members of the organization. The MILF signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014, ending its long-running separatist insurgency in the region.

There will probably never be peace in Mindanao. Not until all the Muslims are gone anyway. As for Hamas, one operative was arrested in the Philippines in 2018, subsequently deported, and nothing has been herd of them until now. It seems highly unlikely that Hamas would establish any kind of operations here. But who knows? Osama bin Laden had contacts in the Philippines and the 9/11 plot was basically hatched in an apartment in Manila by Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Anything is possible.