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More U.S. Troops Arrive in Philippines
Associated Press
February 16, 2002
TABIAWAN, Philippines (AP) -
U.S. troops arrived in the southern Philippines amid tight security
Saturday as two grenade blasts in the region underscored the dangers
a growing American advisory force faces in its mission to help the military
wipe out a Muslim rebel group.
The 30-40 special forces troops flew in from Okinawa, Japan, on two
C-130 transport planes, the second landing on a darkened runway in Zamboanga
city with even the wing-tip lights extinguished. It was unloaded with
the engines running and then took off again.
The U.S. troops are joining 250 others already in Zamboanga for a six-month
exercise aimed at improving the Philippine military's ability to crush
the Abu Sayyaf, which U.S. officials say has ties to al-Qaida.
The guerrillas have been holding an American missionary couple on nearby
Basilan island where an advance team of special forces flew by helicopter
Saturday to set up camp in a Philippine army base.
One grenade exploded at dawn on Jolo, another nearby island where an
Abu Sayyaf faction has a presence, killing at least five people and
injuring more than 40 near a crowded public market.
Hours later, a grenade blast ripped through a movie theater in downtown
Zamboanga, the region's largest city, injuring at least five people
watching ``The Lord of the Rings.''
The blast was about four miles from the Philippine military's Southern
Command headquarters, where the American military personnel are staying.
The U.S. contingent is to grow to 660 in the coming weeks.
Philippine officials said they suspected the Abu Sayyaf, but said security
is adequate and would not be increased.
Military officials from both countries said the American troops, who
are permitted to use their weapons only in self-defense, are prepared
to handle threats from the Abu Sayyaf as they boost their Basilan presence
as part of the U.S.-led global war on terror.
``We are confident with our force-protection plan,'' said a U.S. military
spokesman, Sgt. Michael Farris.
Some U.S. troops, armed with assault rifles and wearing bulletproof
vests and night-vision goggles, visited three towns Saturday on Basilan,
accompanied by a Philippine army company trained by U.S. special forces
last year as the spearhead of the operation against the Abu Sayyaf.
Others boarded aging Philippine air force helicopters for a familiarization
flight of the rugged 300,000-acre island.
Lt. Col. Reynato Padua, commander of a Philippine army battalion, said
the U.S. presence is a ``psychological booster'' for Filipino soldiers,
who also hope to acquire modern weapons and equipment from the Americans
after the exercise.
Early Saturday, a Philippine navy ship unloaded about two dozen four-wheel
drive pickup trucks and other equipment that was taken to the 25-acre
Philippine army camp on Basilan, nestled in hills above the narrow straits
separating it from Zamboanga.
The U.S. soldiers pitched tent near basketball and tennis courts where
they stocked up on food and water. Some set up laptop computers and
communications equipment in a grandstand.
Filipino soldiers, several wearing slippers, mingled with the Americans,
gawking at their satellite telephones, all-terrain vehicles and communications
headsets. Dogs and goats roamed the camp while Filipino soldiers cooked
in a large blackened wok over a wood fire.
Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan., were seized by Abu Sayyaf
guerrillas last May and are believed to be held in the mountainous jungles
of Basilan along with a Filipino nurse, Deborah Yap.
Padua said the Burnhams were last seen Jan. 27 in a mountain area in
central Basilan. He said about 80 guerrillas operate on the island,
including about 30 guarding the hostages. About 5,000 Filipino soldiers
have been deployed to Basilan since last year.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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