Many American and Filipino counter-terrorism officials believe that the southern Philippines is becoming a new base for training terrorists. In that region, members of al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiah  (JI), Abu Sayyaf, and factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are cooperating to train new terrorists, and carry out attacks in the area. The Filipino government, however, believed that the situation in the southern islands is under control. While sometimes called a "new Afghanistan," the southern Philippines is also full of police, troops and pro-government civilians.