SINGAPORE, March 14 — A new group calling itself the Al-Qaeda in Southeast Asia has tried to mobilise support from the region for jihad in Pattani, where insurgents continue to battle the Thai government in the Muslim-majority south.
The group is the second to use terror network Al-Qaeda's name in the region, after escaped militant mastermind Noordin Top formed a Jemaah Islamiah (JI) splinter group, called the Al-Qaeda for the Malay Archipelago, about three years ago.
The existence of this new terror outfit became known when its leader — who identified himself as Abu Ubaidah — was interviewed last May by a Khattab Media Publication, though little is known about it.
Analysts have described the setting up of the group as a feeble attempt by hardliners to use the conflict in southern Thailand to rally jihadists in Southeast Asia. They note that two hardline Islamist magazines in Indonesia — the Jihadmagz and the Sabili — had also recently published articles on southern Thailand.
The interview, which was posted online, was picked up by five Malaysian blogs and four Indonesian websites, said Pacharapun Tinnabal from the United States Embassy in Bangkok.
The official, who was speaking in her personal capacity, mentioned the new terror group at a Singapore conference on the insurgency in southern Thailand, which was organised by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies this week.
Security experts are aware of the group, but say there was not much to suggest a real threat.
In the interview, Abu Ubaidah urged Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia to join the struggle in Pattani, which he described as a legitimate jihad and not a nationalist insurgency.
Among websites where the interview could be found was the hardline Islamist Arrahmah website, which is manned by Indonesian Muhammad Jibril Abdul Rahman. He is the son of Abu Jibril, a hardline JI preacher who mentored escaped terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari.
Terror experts have tried to identify Abu Ubaidah's origin, but it remains unclear.
“My guess is that he could be from Malaysia, going by the language used in the interviews — Bahasa Melayu,” said the International Crisis Group's Sidney Jones, who has researched terror groups in Southeast Asia.
Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, said it could be ideologically connected to Al-Qaeda, but there does not seem to be a real link.
“We don't know about its terror activities but it could be involved in some fund-raising,” he said.
Jones also noted that apart from a few other postings through Khattab Media between April and August last year, little news has emerged about the group.
In one of the postings, the group highlighted a meeting of the “Mujahidin Shura Council” on July 24 last year, when it decided to launch an operation called Tawbah (repentance) in January this year.
The names of four leaders were announced and it listed Abu Ubaidah as an “assistant commander”.
These postings appear to be an effort by a group in Malaysia to test the waters, said Anthony Davis of Jane's Intelligence Review.
“The only concrete element is the promise of the Tawbah operation in January, which must have been a remarkably low-key affair or more likely never happened,” he added. — Straits Times
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