http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/10/world/12551191&sec=world
Thursday November 10, 2005 Cops: Militants from all over Indonesia attend isolated jungle camp in Maluku JAKARTA: Anti-terror police discovered a recently abandoned jungle training camp where militants taught bomb-making skills to scores of extremists, security officials said yesterday, weeks after suicide attackers launched fresh strikes on Bali. Instructors at the camp in Maluku province - the scene of bloody fighting between Muslim and Christians from 1999 to 2002 - were graduates of terrorist academies in Afghanistan and the Philippines, said police Lt-Col Leonidas Braksan. The isolated camp deep in the jungle had been running for several years and was attended by militants from all over Indonesia, he said, showing how terrorists have been able to maintain training networks despite a nationwide crackdown. Police raided the camp on Seram Island earlier this month after receiving a tip from recently arrested militants, Lt-Col Braksan said. Officers found several huts there, as well as white flags used as markers for military exercises. Villagers living nearby heard gunfire and occasional explosions from the direction of the camp, he said. "They were teaching the tactics of war, including using weapons and making bombs," Lt-Col Braksan said, citing testimony from captured graduates of the camp. "The place is very isolated, and difficult to get to," he added. There was no indication that camp graduates were among those who planned or carried out the Oct 1 bombings on three crowded restaurants on Bali that killed 23 people, including three attackers, he said. Religious fighting on Maluku and nearby Sulawesi Island drew militants from all over Indonesia between 1999 and 2002, many of whom went to take part in terror attacks elsewhere in the country. Foreign terrorists looking for a replacement venue for Afghanistan after the US invasion there travelled to the region and funded and taught at other camps, security officials say. Maj-Gen Ansyaad Mbai, a top Indonesian anti-terror official, said the region continued to be an important recruiting ground for Indonesian militant groups. "They can straight away use their experience," he said, noting that militants have in recent years continued to launch sporadic attacks on Christians and security forces in Maluku and Sulawesi. "Sort of like on-the-job training." - AP [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
