September 10, 2011: Recent wikileaks documents have confirmed another long suspected counter-terror operation. In this case it was the Filipino MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) quietly collecting identity and location information on the more dangerous Islamic radicals hiding out in the Philippines. This occurred in 2005, when al Qaeda was setting up branches in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia), with varying degrees of success.

MILF leadership helped out with the understanding that the source of this assistance would never be made public. After all, MILF presents itself as an Islamic liberation (from the Christian majority in the Philippines). In fact, MILF politics is more influenced by the many powerful tribes and clan organizations that still exist in the Moslem south. The MILF leadership believed that these Islamic radical groups would eventually seek to take over outfits like MILF, and create clan wars and devastation.  This was unspoken knowledge. In public, most Moslems supported al Qaeda. But in private, there were fears. MILF leaders acted on those fears.

No one expected the wikileaks hackers to come along. At the time, there were suspicions that MILF was helping out. But MILF leadership denied this, and no one came up with definitive proof that MILF was turning over information on al Qaeda members hiding out in MILF territory. Nevertheless, over the next few years, all of those al Qaeda people were caught, killed or fled to safer countries.