Worrisome al-Qaeda build-up: expert

Published: 4:34PM Wednesday July 23, 2008 Source: AAP

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Al-Qaeda's revival on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan will have negative ramifications for counter-terrorism operations across South-East Asia, a leading terrorism expert says.
  
Northern areas of Pakistan have fallen to the Taliban and the three-month-old government in Islamabad has so far refused to allow US forces to pursue the militants inside the country.
  
The International Crisis Group's senior Asian adviser, Sidney Jones, warned that Islamist militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan were likely to still have connections with fighters in South-East Asia.
  
"The other thing that's not good news is the rejuvenation of al-Qaeda and the Taliban on the Pakistan-Afghan border because that's the one region where South-East Asians have long-term experience and probably ongoing contacts," Ms Jones told a conference.
  
US intelligence firm Stratfor last week reported increasing military action on the border.
  
"But ultimately, there is no doubt that activity along that part of the border has been on the rise in the past few months, and it is equally clear that both NATO and the United States are publicly emphasising the problem," Stratfor wrote.
  
"The extent of the problem is difficult to overstate."
  
In a wide-ranging and comprehensive overview of militancy across the region, Ms Jones pointed to many positive signs but offered no certainty about future threats.
  
She reiterated her belief that Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) was not responsible for the attack on Australia's Jakarta embassy.
  
"It wasn't a JI attack, it was undertaken by a splinter group that had no endorsement from the JI leadership.
  
"I don't happen to believe that mainstream JI is oriented toward bombing anymore."
  
Instead, splinter groups like that led by fugitive Malaysian Noordin Mohamed Top were of greater concern, Jones said.
  
"Noordin would certainly face the death penalty in Indonesia if and when he is arrested. It looks like the Indonesian police are getting closer.
  
"He is a key figure in the 'nothing to lose' category."
  
While the counter-terrorism work of investigators across the region had been strong, a wider and deeper understanding of the threat was needed.
  
Pointing to a recent arrest in the Philippines, Jones said the Filipino police had allowed Indonesia officers to conduct their own questioning - but neither country asked about regional links between militant groups.
  
"The idea that there's critical information that both countries can use about regional linkages back and forth is not something that occurred to interrogators in this case.
  
"I think it just underscores the additional skill training that probably is necessary."

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