Davao City under terror alert
Davao City, on the southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines, is under heightened alert after reports that the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, Basit Usman may be behind the supposed terrorist threat against the port city.
Image/CIA
The terror plot could be in retaliation for a recent government assault that killed two of Usman’s associates and led to the arrest of his wife. Abdul Basit Usman, head of the terror group and a reported master bomb expert, escaped the attack wounded.
The Philippines News Agency reported today that Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has placed the terror threat at three in a scale of 10 but emphasized that the government response is in full scale “like it is martial law”. Duterte said the city government is doing “humanly possible” to ensure the safety of the people, adding that terrorism must be responded in full scale.
The national police said in a press statement that the information about the terrorist threat was “received with high reliability,” but they could not divulge details so as not to compromise ongoing security operations in the areas that could face attacks.
All intelligence sources of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the mayor’s own sources, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) are interconnecting with each other to track down terrorists, according to Duterte.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas said the police and the military are on heightened alert since Thursday. Checkpoints have been set up in strategic areas. Roxas also urged the public to be vigilant and report immediately any suspected persons.
“We have more than enough forces to secure Davao City and its neighboring towns and communities… We have the support of the civilian population and the rest of the stakeholders,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said in a radio interview on Sunday.
