VIDEO: Philippines a forgotten front in war on terror

CBC's Adrienne Arsenault visits the southern islands of the Philippines for an inside look at the lush, remote jungles that have become the forgotten front in the global fight against terrorism.

The islands are where the plans for the Sept. 11 attacks were hatched, and where al-Qaeda has deep roots, Arsenault reports in this exclusive documentary.

"In the Philippines, al-Qaeda had found the perfect incubator," she says.

The area had such strong links to international terror that after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. sent thousands of special forces to the area to help local forces deal with al-Qaeda and the Abu Sayyaf, an insurgency group that al-Qaeda helped train and fund.

"This became the second front in the global war on terror — really, the forgotten front — and the fight is far from over," Arsenault says.