U.S. and RP plan new exercises against rebels

U.S. and RP plan new exercises against rebels

Raju Gopalakrishnan, Manila, Reuters

A fresh round of U.S.-Philippine anti-terror exercises will be held later this year, possibly extending to other strongholds of Moro rebels linked to al-Qaeda militants, the Philippine defense chief said on Wednesday.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the new exercises might be held on the island of Jolo in the Sulu archipelago, where Moro gunmen have held three Indonesian seamen hostage for more than three weeks.

"Its purpose is to enhance the capability of Filipino forces to fight domestic and international terrorism," Reyes told Manila-based foreign correspondents.

About 1,000 U.S. troops, including special forces units, are deployed in the south of the country for the first round of training in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism. The exercises are centered on the island of Basilan, near Jolo.

Mountainous and heavily forested, Jolo and Basilan -- more than 900 km (560 miles) south of Manila -- are separated by a narrow strip of sea.

The islands, with largely Muslim populations, have been bastions of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, which the United States has linked to Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden and his al- Qaeda network, prime suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The rebels have kidnapped dozens of people over recent years including three Americans from a beach resort last year. One of the Americans was killed soon after the kidnapping. Another was killed during a military rescue bid last month in which his wife, the third U.S. hostage, was wounded but rescued.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she wanted the new exercises to be on the main northern island of Luzon, where Manila is located, but was flexible about a component in the south.

"The Sulu idea came from the U.S. side," she told reporters. "Sulu is fine with me as long as the major exercises are held on Luzon".

The six-month Basilan exercises, which represent the biggest troop deployment in America's war on terror after Afghanistan, end on July 31.

There has been much opposition to the exercises since the constitution bars foreign troops from operations on Philippine soil. But Arroyo has pushed hard for them and said they did not violate the constitution as they only involved training.

Although armed, the U.S. soldiers are not allowed to engage in combat but can fire in self-defense.

Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, who has expressed reservations about the U.S. military presence, quit as foreign minister last week over differences with Arroyo. The Philippines is a former U.S. colony but 10 years ago threw out U.S. forces from bases in the country.

Reyes said the next exercises would probably start in October but no final decision had been made on their date or location. No decision has been reached on how many U.S. troops will take part in the second phase.

Jolo, the main island in the Sulu archipelago, has been the scene of intense military operations in recent weeks against Moro gunmen holding three Indonesian seamen abducted from a Singaporean-owned tugboat on June 17.

Reyes said U.S. soldiers on Basilan were now conducting exercises with Filipinos at the company level, helping to gather and collate intelligence and advising on counter-terrorism.

Military commanders say company-level training involves moving U.S. troops closer to combat areas so they can observe Philippine troops more closely.

Training during previous weeks had been limited to battalion- level exercises in which U.S. forces are confined to areas around big military camps and away from combat zones.

Reyes said 300 to 400 U.S. troops would stay on Basilan beyond July 31 to supervise the winding down of their operations but they would all be gone by the end of August.