Mindanao the new Afghanistan?

From the Malaya newspaper:

JOSEPH Mussomeli, US Embassy chargé d'affaires, has raised the possibility of Mindanao becoming the next Afghanistan because of the continued presence of terrorists in the South.

In a recent interview with SBS TV-Australia, Mussomeli said links between the Jemaah Islamiah and the Abu Sayyaf and factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front seemed to be growing stronger.

"Mindanao is almost, forgive the poor religious pun, the new 'Mecca' for terrorism," he said.
"Personally, I'm worried that we're not worried enough. I think the real danger here, and the danger that has been here since the mid-90s, is that we're not focused enough on the threat here," Mussomeli said.

The transcript of the interview, which was aired April 5, was monitored yesterday on the US Embassy website.

"It's not the sort of threat that should be worried about coming here on a day-to-day basis. The threat is more long-term: that Mindanao is such a lawless - certain portions of Mindanao - are so lawless, so porous (at) the borders that you run the risk of it becoming like an Afghanistan situation," he said.

Mussomeli said apart from Jemaah Islamiya (JI) operatives who have been tracked in Mindanao, Saudi nationals are also constant "visitors" to that part of the country.

"Whether they're legitimate or not is open to dispute," Mussomeli said.
the transcript of the interview is worth reading in its entirety.

The transcript of the interview is worth reading in it's entirety.