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U.S. Troops Deploying to Philippines
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
The Associated Press

Cimatu has said the training will differ from an ongoing counterterrorism exercise on southern Basilan island where U.S. troops, who advise, train and assist Filipino soldiers fighting Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, are deployed close to combat areas.

MANILA, Philippines -- AP
The U.S. will start a series of training exercises in October for Philippine troops that will involve a constant American military presence in the country for at least eight months, officials said Tuesday.

The exercises will follow a six-month counterterrorism training maneuver in the south designed to help the Philippine military wipe out the al-Qaida-linked Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group. The training ends next week.

The presence of foreign troops has been a sensitive issue, particularly after the Philippine Senate voted not to renew the lease on a U.S. naval facility in 1991, ending a nearly century-old American military presence in the former U.S. colony.

Armed forces Chief of Staff Gen. Roy Cimatu said a total of around 4,000 soldiers from both sides will be involved in the new exercises that would run until next June. He did not say how many will be Americans.
(More: Military.com News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

I’d say the temperature in the Philippines just climbed a notch.



Dan