Makati is Very Far From Milwaukee

Makati the financial district of Manila in the Philippines is very far away from Milwaukee. In fact, it is 7,941 miles (or 12,778 kilometers away for the metric inclined) so why should we should we give a rip about the Glorietta II Bombing (a mall I HAVE been in)? It is a good question and I will address it.

Bojinka

Operation Bojinka is a plot hatched by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in the Philippines. A test phase of his Bojinka concept resulted in a bomb exploding on a PAL flight (the link indicates PAL but my recollection is PAL as I do distinctly recall that event) from Manila to Tokyo. IIRC it resulted in the death of one passenger. He was actively planning assassinations of various world leaders namely President Clinton and Pope John Paul II in addtion to more activities aimed against airlines. Fortunately, the evil engineering started their apartment on fire and their plots were discovered. Again, this is in Manila where this plotting was happening.

Abu Sayyaf & Jemmah Islamiya

As you all may know Abu Sayyaf is a smaller splinter terror group based in the southern Philippines and operating mostly in that area, but making occasional forays to the north and into the neighboring nations.

Abu Sayyaf splintered off of the MILF. These groups and others claim to be struggling for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. However, Abu Sayyaf at times is more criminal than ideological. Their aims seem to be mostly local in nature, but a connection with another group is troubling. That group is Jemmah Islamiya.

McAl-Qaida

There is little doubt Al Qaida has its fingers in the Jemmah Islamiya group and its subsidiaries. Jemmah Islamiya is the group that provided the local manpower to carry out the Bali Bombings. This is a hierarchy in an organization we are at war with. So while many may consider the Philippines a backwater in the WOT it served as the origination of some significant victories for the bad guys.

In addition, AQ affiliates should be be targeted for destruction wherever they exist.

Other Reasons

You probably know someone with family in the Philippines, I have family there and some of them visit Glorietta II regularly and as I state above so have I.

Makati Bombing

Many of you may have heard of the bombing in Makati – Manila's financial district. The reports I have been reading indicate the bombing killed eight and injured many more people.

DJB (formerly a resident of Pewaukee) analyzes the claim by the Rajah Sulaiman Movement of responsibility. In addition, he provides analysis of the event and others affecting the Philippines. Be sure to read Manuel Quezon III's analysis of events too he looks at the leading theory the authorities had (or have) about the bombing actually being a freak LP tank explosion and does not dismiss it outright.

For up close and personal photographs of the bombing see Disney Cute Land's photographs. Disneycuteland claims to have been in the immediate vicinity of the explosion and publishes 43 photographs.

What A Play!

Iran just made. It captured some British sailors accused them of entering Iranian territory (despite not being able to offer a straight story on where they were really captured), stand off the UK, and then release them, get what they were really looking for (come on you think they wanted an apology from the UK?), and then prance around acting like they are so magnanimous, kind, and great.

This play, in a slightly different form has been played before. In 2000 the band of bandits known as Abu Sayyaf kidnapped some Europeans vacationing in Malaysia. Well, in comes Libya and negotiates with Abu Sayyaf and the Europeans are released. How convenient.

Qadaffy sends major amounts of money to terrorist Abu Sayyaf and comes off looking like a good guy. So, what does Abu Sayyaf do? A week or so later Abu Sayyaf kidnaps some more people. Of course, it is a profitable business. Profit for bribery and weapons.