aria
Former Moderator
- Joined
- Dec 4, 1977
- Posts
- 39,546
Ah, the old bait-n-switch wink
But seriously, this is something that the US has been eyeing since pre-9/11. The Muslim extremists in the Phillipines have been causing havoc for years (and kidnapping lots of foriegn nationals along the way, including Americans/Europeans).
The US has been supporting the Phillipine military efforts (like the support we give to the Colombian military against drug cartels)
Needless to say, after 9/11, the support and concern over the Militants (Abu Sayyaf) has been greater, especially considering their acknowledged ties to Al Queda. Anyway, here's an article from the NY Times website: to be a headline in tommorrow's print edition:
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/international/21CND-FILIP.html" target="_blank">U.S. to Send 3,000 Troops to Fight Militants in Philippines</a>
By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 — The United States will send about 3,000 troops to Philippines in the next few weeks to fight Muslim extremists in the southern part of the country, Pentagon officials said today.
Unlike a six-month training mission that involved 1,300 American forces on Basilan Island last year, this will be a joint operation with the Philippine military that has no fixed deadline. It marks a significant escalation in the war against terror even as the United States builds up for a possible war against Iraq and continues to hunt for Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
The plan calls for 750 American ground troops, including about 350 Special Operations forces, to conduct combat patrols in the jungles of Sulu Province with Philippine forces. In addition, 2,200 marines armed with Cobra attack helicopters and Harrier AV-8B attack planes will stand ready on ships offshore to act as a quick-response force, provide logistics and medical support.
A military assessment team, the vanguard of the larger combat force, is expected to arrive in the Philippines in the next few days, and the full American force could be conducting combat operations against the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf within a month, a Pentagon official said. The American forces will be led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Webber, the commander of marines in the Pacific.
The deployment culminates months of planning and coordination between Adm. Thomas Fargo, the commander of American forces in the Pacific, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and top Philippine officials, including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Mr. Rumsfeld briefed President Bush on the operation last week, Pentagon officials said.
"The Philippines have a terrorist problem, and we have offered our assistance," a senior Pentagon official said. "Over time, that assistance takes different shapes and forms. The Philippines have invited us to expand our role with them."
The combat operation, which goes well beyond a continuing set of training missions throughout the Philippines, reflects the Pentagon's growing concern that militant Islamic networks pose an increasing threat to Americans and American interests in Southeast Asia. It also indicates that the training mission with Philippine forces last year on Basilan failed to quell the Muslim guerrilla movement.
Only one principal Abu Sayyaf leader was killed during that operation, and the group's other leaders have since reorganized in Sulu Province, principally on Jolo Island.
While the American-led mission effectively drove Abu Sayyaf from Basilan and parts of southern Mindanao, the American-trained Philippine forces have not sustained the momentum. Abu Sayyaf has been tied to a string of recent bombings and attacks in the southern Philippines, including an explosion last November that killed an American Green Beret, Pentagon officials said.
But seriously, this is something that the US has been eyeing since pre-9/11. The Muslim extremists in the Phillipines have been causing havoc for years (and kidnapping lots of foriegn nationals along the way, including Americans/Europeans).
The US has been supporting the Phillipine military efforts (like the support we give to the Colombian military against drug cartels)
Needless to say, after 9/11, the support and concern over the Militants (Abu Sayyaf) has been greater, especially considering their acknowledged ties to Al Queda. Anyway, here's an article from the NY Times website: to be a headline in tommorrow's print edition:
-----------------------------
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/international/21CND-FILIP.html" target="_blank">U.S. to Send 3,000 Troops to Fight Militants in Philippines</a>
By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 — The United States will send about 3,000 troops to Philippines in the next few weeks to fight Muslim extremists in the southern part of the country, Pentagon officials said today.
Unlike a six-month training mission that involved 1,300 American forces on Basilan Island last year, this will be a joint operation with the Philippine military that has no fixed deadline. It marks a significant escalation in the war against terror even as the United States builds up for a possible war against Iraq and continues to hunt for Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
The plan calls for 750 American ground troops, including about 350 Special Operations forces, to conduct combat patrols in the jungles of Sulu Province with Philippine forces. In addition, 2,200 marines armed with Cobra attack helicopters and Harrier AV-8B attack planes will stand ready on ships offshore to act as a quick-response force, provide logistics and medical support.
A military assessment team, the vanguard of the larger combat force, is expected to arrive in the Philippines in the next few days, and the full American force could be conducting combat operations against the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf within a month, a Pentagon official said. The American forces will be led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Webber, the commander of marines in the Pacific.
The deployment culminates months of planning and coordination between Adm. Thomas Fargo, the commander of American forces in the Pacific, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and top Philippine officials, including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Mr. Rumsfeld briefed President Bush on the operation last week, Pentagon officials said.
"The Philippines have a terrorist problem, and we have offered our assistance," a senior Pentagon official said. "Over time, that assistance takes different shapes and forms. The Philippines have invited us to expand our role with them."
The combat operation, which goes well beyond a continuing set of training missions throughout the Philippines, reflects the Pentagon's growing concern that militant Islamic networks pose an increasing threat to Americans and American interests in Southeast Asia. It also indicates that the training mission with Philippine forces last year on Basilan failed to quell the Muslim guerrilla movement.
Only one principal Abu Sayyaf leader was killed during that operation, and the group's other leaders have since reorganized in Sulu Province, principally on Jolo Island.
While the American-led mission effectively drove Abu Sayyaf from Basilan and parts of southern Mindanao, the American-trained Philippine forces have not sustained the momentum. Abu Sayyaf has been tied to a string of recent bombings and attacks in the southern Philippines, including an explosion last November that killed an American Green Beret, Pentagon officials said.
