ZAMBOANGA CITY, 16 October 2005 — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday warned that the Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf may strike on civilian targets at anytime in the southern Philippines, where security and rebel forces have joined to hunt down members of the two terrorist groups tied to Al-Qaeda.

The MILF said the two groups remain the biggest threat to the Philippines and terrorists could be planning to mount an attack.

It said the Jemaah and the Abu Sayyaf have fragmented into smaller groups and are believed to be hiding in Mindanao.

“Although they are fragmented, they remain the biggest threat to the safety of everybody. There are strong possibilities that the terrorists may strike at civilian targets any time," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told Arab News.

“We can’t exactly tell when or where, but we have alerted our forces to intensify the hunt for Jemaah and Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Mindanao,” he said.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim separatist group, is currently negotiating peace with Manila. It forged an agreement last year that paved the way for rebel forces to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the MILF is actively operating.

The MILF shares intelligence information about the Jemaah and the Abu Sayyaf with the military through a joint action group.

International terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said the Jemaah is allegedly receiving funding from the Al-Qaeda and other unidentified financiers.

The Jemaah is also receiving arms and munition explosives from their cells in the southern Philippines and has active camps in the region, Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at the Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore, said.

He did not identify the Al-Qaeda and the financiers, nor how they were channeling funds to the Jemaah.

Gunaratna also warned that JI becomes active during the “bombing season” usually from August to about December.

“When I was asked...about the state of health of JI, I said that JI will attack. JI is still capable. And I believe that JI has suffered, but JI still retains significant infrastructure to mount attacks, not only in Indonesia but also in the Philippines and in some of the neighboring countries,” he said.

Philippine authorities said yesterday at least 33 JI members are believed to be hiding in Mindanao and were training local recruits.