Australian troops hunt terrorists in RP

Australian troops hunt terrorists in RP

AUSTRALIA: Elite Australian troops have joined the hunt for
Jamaah Islamiyah terrorists in the Philippines, newspapers
reported on Sunday.

Australian agents and Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment
troops were cooperating with Filipino soldiers in the hunt for
senior terrorist figures in the Philippines, said News Ltd.
papers citing an unnamed former agent with the peak spy agency
Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer would neither confirm nor
deny the presence of SAS, the shadowy regiment that has
spearheaded Australia's combat roles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I'm not going to go into all the details of who they are, but
there are Australian personnel in the Philippines who are
providing the Philippines police and armed forces with
assistance," Downer told Melbourne Radio 3AW on Sunday.

"We do have some people there from ... various arms of
government helping the Filipinos, and have had for quite some
time," he added.

A week after terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island of
Bali killed 23 people, including four Australians, attention is
focusing on terrorist cells operating in the southern
Philippines. --AP