U.S. military to launch war on terrorism in RP<\/p>\n
Agencies, Zamboanga, Philippines<\/p>\n
The commander in chief of U.S. special forces met his troops in
\nthe southern Philippines on Thursday, 72 hours before the United
\nStates opens a second front in its global war on terror.<\/p>\n
U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Holland held closed-door talks
\nwith top Philippine generals, including armed forces chief
\nDiomedio Villanueva, and then joined his soldiers for lunch at
\nlocal military headquarters in southern Zamboanga city.<\/p>\n
\"He is here to visit his troops, find out what they need and
\nwhat are the things to be done,\" Villanueva said after the talks
\nwith Holland, a highly decorated soldier and veteran of 79 combat
\nmissions in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think right now there are snags,\" Villanueva said.
\nOn Sunday, a 32-member advance party of the U.S. special forces,
\nan elite command formed of experts in unconventional war and used
\nby the United States as a strike force in global hot spots, will
\nmove to nearby Basilan island to launch the start of a new
\nchapter in Washington's campaign against terror.<\/p>\n
About 160 U.S. special forces soldiers are to be deployed on
\nthe largely Muslim island to train and upgrade the skills of
\nFilipino troops in fighting Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who have been
\nholding hostage a U.S. missionary couple and a Filipina nurse for
\nmore than eight months.<\/p>\n
The United States has linked the Abu Sayyaf to Saudi-born
\nmilitant Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network, prime suspects
\nin the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.<\/p>\n
The deployment of the U.S. special forces on Basilan will mark
\nthe most significant expansion of the United States war against
\nterrorism, after its destruction of the Taliban regime in
\nAfghanistan.<\/p>\n
The main bulk of the special forces soldiers is expected to
\narrive in Zamboanga on Monday prior to their deployment on
\nBasilan, a turtle-shaped island of about 300,000 people and three
\ntimes the size of Singapore.<\/p>\n
A few hundred Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, with a hard core of 70 to
\n80 fighters, operate on the island and command mastery of its
\nmountainous, jungle-clad terrain.<\/p>\n
The United States has been providing weapons to the poorly
\nequipped Philippine military. During a White House visit last
\nNovember, President Gloria Macapagal secured $100 million in
\nassistance.<\/p>\n
Several dozen Muslim protesters, concerned that any attack on
\nAmerican troops could escalate conflict and tension in the
\nsouthern Philippines, rallied on Thursday outside Isabela, the
\nBasilan provincial capital, chanting \"Allahu Akbar (God is great)
\nand \"U.S. troops out!\" before dispersing peacefully.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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