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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Fred Levine who wrote (68097)	2/26/2003 2:48:30 PM
From: chomolungma	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Fred, Was this the article? The Philippine Terror Front U.S. Marines and Special Forces are once again headed to the Philippines to aid in the fight against terrorism, although the size of the force and its exact role are still unclear. But if President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo gives the proper go-ahead, joint U.S.-Philippine combat missions could serve as a model for other governments working together to wipe out local terrorist groups. The situation in the southern Philippines certainly justifies a renewed combat role for U.S. forces. The Abu Sayyaf terror organization has been disrupting life in that country for years, but evidence has been accumulating since the September 11, 2001, attacks that it also has links to global terrorism, including Iraq and al Qaeda. Two weeks ago the Philippines expelled Iraqi diplomat Husham Husain after discovering he had received a phone call from an Abu Sayyaf member the day after the group staged an October 3 bombing that killed a U.S. Green Beret on the southern island of Mindanao. After the diplomat's deportation, Abu Sayyaf leader Hamsiraji Sali stated on Philippine TV that Iraq was paying bounties to his gunmen to murder U.S. troops. The Abu Sayyaf also has connections with al Qaeda. For a decade, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, laundered money through his Manila-based front companies to finance the extremist group, among others in the region. Philippine intelligence believes that Ramzi Yousef, who planned the first World Trade Center bombing from Manila, had contact and training with the Abu Sayyaf. Ditto for some of the 9/11 hijackers. The Philippine terror network has also claimed American victims. Californian Guillermo Sobero was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf in 2001, and Kansas missionary Martin Burnham was killed during a rescue attempt last year. Saturday marked the first anniversary of the deaths of 10 U.S. soldiers in a helicopter crash during counterterrorism maneuvers near Basilan Island. A U.S. combat role is crucial to the success of this new mission. Underfunded Filipinos lack the training and hi-tech equipment to go head to head with the terrorists, who have used millions in mostly European ransom booty to purchase advanced weaponry. Joint U.S.-Philippine efforts nearly finished off the terrorists last year, only to see them rebuild after the American withdrawal. Predictably, anti-American demonstrations in the Philippines are being broadcast world-wide. Last year, too, international media outlets gave heavy coverage to similar protests, though polls consistently showed that 80% of Filipinos supported a U.S. troop presence. American projects to build roads, bridges, sewers and other infrastructure made GIs very popular in the recipient Muslim villages last year. The question now is whether this anti-U.S. imagery is going to intimidate Philippine President Arroyo. Last week the U.S. Defense Department announced that 3,000 U.S. troops were being deployed to the nation's southern Jolo Island, and that Ms. Arroyo had given the green light for GIs to engage in combat. The president's spokesmen and military advisers have since been backpedaling, saying no such agreement exists and that Americans are only welcome as advisers. The rules of U.S. engagement are crucial here, because the limits on GIs are one reason Abu Sayyaf was able to survive last year's operations on Basilan. U.S. forces shouldn't be asked to undertake a dangerous mission with their hands tied. In a phone interview yesterday, Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson countered the notion that there is any significant anti-American sentiment in his country. "Any support from the U.S. is welcome here," he said. Senator Lacson, a leading opposition candidate for president in next year's election, told us, "You can even ask the Muslims in Mindanao and they all say they want American troops to get more involved in eliminating terrorist groups in the southern islands. They know that's the only way they can lead peaceful, safe lives in the future." Last year's Bali bombing, foiled embassy attacks in Singapore and other recent incidents have proven that terrorist groups are linked internationally -- and they have to be fought that way. There will always be risks on the battlefield; Jolo is a lawless, heavily armed island. But as September 11 proved, the costs of ignoring terrorism are higher. Updated February 25, 2003