Osama bin Laden, founder and leader of the dreaded terrorist group Al Qaeda, is dead.
United States President Barack Obama announced Monday that bin Laden was killed by US commandos as they stormed his hideout, a mansion in the town of Abbottabad only two hours away from Islamabad.
The families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks have welcomed the news, even as many have stated that bin Laden’s death will not bring back their loved ones.
While most world leaders have agreed with President Obama that justice has been done, there are a few who have condemned the killing, including leaders of Hamas in Gaza. Leaders in Yemen, Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood, among others, have warned that the Al Qaeda and its allies will retaliate for the killing of bin Laden. Supporters of bin Laden have warned of reprisals. In Pakistan, a major Taliban faction has threatened to attack the United States, and Pakistan as well for collaborating. Other leaders have expressed their fear that another Al Qaeda could emerge.
We of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy advise the government as well as our community leaders not to let their guard down. The Al Qaeda and bin Laden still have supporters in conflict-affected Mindanao. With the turmoil in the Middle East, particularly in Libya, and the continuing troubles in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the “peacekeepers” of the world are stretched thin. Although the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyyah presence in the Philippines has been greatly decimated, we cannot rule out the possibility of violent retaliation by bin Laden’s Philippine-based supporters.
We call on leaders of the national government, the ARMM, Muslim communities, the liberation fronts, our religious leaders to cooperate in securing the communities from terrorist attacks. We must ensure that the GPH-MILF peace process will be insulated from any untoward event emanating from the death of the feared Al Qaeda leader. Together, we should be focused on ensuring that our aspirations for a genuine and lasting peace and democracy will not be derailed by missteps that may be the result of the aftermath of bin Laden’s death.
