U.S.-RP exercises end, more to come

U.S.-RP exercises end, more to come

PHILIPPINES: U.S.-Philippine military exercises in the volatile south of the country ended on Wednesday, hailed by both sides as a success despite failing to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas linked to the al-Qaeda network.

Some 1,000 U.S. troops are heading home after the six-month long exercises held mainly on the Muslim-dominated island of Basilan -- a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas.

The United States has linked the Abu Sayyaf to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on Washington and New York.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, now on an eight-nation Asian tour, is to visit the Philippines later in the week to discuss further exercises, which are likely to begin in October. --Reuters