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U.S. Troops Begin Philippines Pull-Out
Friday, July 29, 2002
(9:07 PM ET) (01:07 GMT)
By Cable News Network Staff & Newswire-Services

Not everyone has welcomed the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines.
Image Credit: The Associated Press.

Before the training program began, the U.S. and Philippine governments agreed to limit the time the U.S. troops would be based in the Philippines, deciding on a July 31 date to end the training exercise, named Balikatan. Future training programs with U.S. soldiers will have a decidedly different look as they will be limited to only classroom training.

MANILA, Philippines -- CNN & Services
U.S. troops stationed in the Philippines since February will begin pulling out later this week after wrapping up a six-month training program to help combat terrorism in the southeast Asian nation.

U.S. military officials said the almost 1,300 troops -- made up of Special Forces trainers and military engineers -- will begin their month-long pullout on Thursday after a closing ceremony at the U.S.-Philippine operations headquarters on the southern island of Zamboanga.

A small force of U.S. military liaison officers will remain at the headquarters to help with future counter-terrorism training exercises, expected to begin later his year.

The pull-out begins just ahead of the arrival in the Philippines of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is on a goodwill tour of six southeast Asian nations in a bid to shore up support for the war on terrorism.
(More: CNN.com News Source)
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Dan