DND monitoring events in Afghanistan

MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they are constantly monitoring events happening in Afghanistan which was earlier overrun and captured by the Taliban early this month.

“Ang mga nangyayari sa Afghanistan ay tinututukan natin, concerned tayo diyan dahil yun dalawang taong nagtatag ng Abu Sayyaf (in 1991) ay galing [at] nagtrain sa Afghanistan nung mga 1980s. Si Janjalani (Abdujarak Abukakar) at iyong kanyang kapatid [Khadaffy], nag-umpisa ng Abu Sayyaf. The threat ay nandiyan (We are monitoring the events happening in Afghanistan, we are concerned because the two people who established the Abu Sayyaf, both came and trained in Afghanistan in the 1980s. [Abdujarak Abukakar] Janjalani and his brother, started the Abu Sayyaf. The threat is there),” he said during an interview with SMNI News Channel Wednesday.

Lorenzana said he also asked US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral John Aquilino during his meeting with the American military official on Monday whether there are substantial numbers of Southeast Asian fighters within the Taliban ranks in Afghanistan who can sneak in and return to Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Philippines.

“Ang tingin namin ay walang Filipino nandun nagte- training sa Taliban, pero ang nakikita ko diyan baka meron Malaysians at Indonesians. Concerned tayo diyan, minamanmanan natin yun nangyayari. Eto namang ginagawa natin rito, nakikipagtulungan tayo sa Malaysia at Indonesia upang mapigilan ang pag-uwi ng probable terrorists at mapigilan sila sa kanilang lugar at hindi maglipat-lipat sa ibang bansa (We think that there are no Filipinos training with the Taliban, but there could be Malaysians and Indonesians. We are concerned about that and we are constantly monitoring the events. We are coordinating with Malaysia and Indonesia to stop the return of these probable terrorists so that they no longer go from country to country [and conduct attacks],” he added. 

Asked if he is in favor of accepting Afghan refugees, the Defense chief said President Rodrigo R. Duterte is willing to accept “limited” number of refugees in the country.

“Sabi niya [Duterte], he is willing to accept limited [number], hindi naman lahat siguro ng Afghan na gustong tumakas ay tatangapin, pero nag-offer siya as President of the Republic that we are open to accept limited refugees from Afghanistan (The President said he is willing to accept limited Afghan refugees, but not all those fleeing Afghans will be accepted, but as President of the Republic we are open to accept limited [number of] refugees from Afghanistan),” he said.