PHILIPPINES: MORE U.S. TROOPS ARRIVE AHEAD OF JOINT-MILITARY EXERCISES ON BASILAN / ANTI-U.S. DEMONSTRATIONS HELD IN MANILA
Record ID:
648474
PHILIPPINES: MORE U.S. TROOPS ARRIVE AHEAD OF JOINT-MILITARY EXERCISES ON BASILAN / ANTI-U.S. DEMONSTRATIONS HELD IN MANILA
- Title: PHILIPPINES: MORE U.S. TROOPS ARRIVE AHEAD OF JOINT-MILITARY EXERCISES ON BASILAN / ANTI-U.S. DEMONSTRATIONS HELD IN MANILA
- Date: 29th January 2002
- Summary: ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 30, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/SCU: U.S. AIRFORCE C17 TAXIING AT THE EDWIN ANDREWS AIRBASE (2 SHOTS) 0.11 2. VARIOUS OF US TROOPS AT EDWIN ANDREWS AIRBASE (3 SHOTS) 0.29 ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 29, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 3. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGADIER GENERAL DONALD WURSTER, JOINT COMMAND CHIEF AND BRIG. GENERAL MANUEL TEODOSIO, PHILIPPINE COUNTERPART EXCHANGING HANDSHAKES / BRIG. GENERAL MANUEL TEODOSIO SAYING: "The opening of the military exercises Balikatan 2002-1 will push through on Thursday morning, that will be about 0900 in the morning. We were able to thresh out minor hitches and we're going to push through with the exercises immediately after the opening ceremony on Thursday morning." / U.S. MILITARY OFFICERS APPLAUDING 1.14 ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 30, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 4. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) BASILAN GOVERNOR WAHAB AKBAR SAYING: "The Abu Sayyaf is not fighting anymore. The military is running after them from time to time, but the Abu Sayyaf does not fight anymore. Accidentally maybe, like if they are ambushed and they can not escape, then they will fight for several seconds then they fly away." 1.35 5. VARIOUS OF MORE US TROOPS AT EDWIN ANDREWS AIRBASE (3 SHOTS) 1.53 MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 30, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. VARIOUS OF RIOT POLICE ARRIVING TO CONTROL PROTESTERS (3 SHOTS) 2.23 7. VARIOUS OF ANTI-U.S. PROTEST OUTSIDE U.S. EMBASSY (3 SHOTS) 2.39 8. SV/WS: PROTESTERS BURNING US FLAG (2 SHOTS) 2.56 9. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTEST LEADER APO ALVAREZ SAYING: "There's no military base in South East Asia, there are in Japan and Korea. The Abu Sayyaf is just the entry point for the US to build a base in Basilan and then their real target is a global military positioning in South East Asia region because according to the speech of President Bush in his State of the Union, the war of aggression against terrorism, the crusade must continue and their targets are the small and weak countries like the Philippines and other in the Asia Pacific region." 3.36 10. PAN: PROTESTERS AND ANTI-RIOT POLICE FACE OFF CHEERS 3.43 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 13th February 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ZAMBOANGA, MANILA, PHILIPPINES
- Country: Philippines
- Reuters ID: LVA21NZJ1O7R6JXUG9YIMHP4VG3T
- Story Text: About 600 U.S. soldiers are to take part in the exercises on
Thursday (January 31) which represent the most
significant expansion of the U.S. war on terror after
Afghanistan.
The Philippines has long battled Islamic militants in the
south and one group, Abu Sayyaf, suspected by the United
States of having links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network,
will be a focus of the training exercises in the former U.S.
colony.
"The opening ceremony will push through on Thursday
morning. We were able to thrash out some of the minor
hitches...Everything has been resolved," Philippines Brigadier
General Manuel Teodosio said. "The hitches involved the number
of Americans taking part in the exercises and schedules" he
added.
Officials of the two countries had previously said a total
of 660 U.S. soldiers would take part in the exercises, with
about a tenth of them going out on patrols with Filipino
soldiers on Basilan, about 900 km (550 miles) south of Manila.
The exercises also call for about 160 U.S. Special Forces
soldiers to join Filipino troops in patrol in the jungles of
mountainous Basilan, near Zamboanga, where Abu Sayyaf
guerrillas have been holding a U.S. missionary couple and a
Filipina nurse hostage for months.
Governor of Basilan island said the fight against Abu
Sayyaf guerillas was sporadic and difficult.
"The Abu Sayyaf is not fighting anymore. The military is
running after them from time to time, but the Abu Sayyaf does
not fight anymore. Accidentally maybe, like if they are
ambushed and they can not escape, then they will fight for
several seconds then they fly away", said Basilan Governor
Wahab Akbar.
Critics of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have slammed
the U.S. military presence as a violation of the constitution,
which bars the presence of foreign combat troops unless under
a formal treaty.
Protesters outside the American embassy accused the U.S.
of expansionist policies in Asia.
"The Abu Sayyaf is just the entry point for the US to
build a base in Basilan and then their real target is a global
military positioning in South East Asia region because
according to the speech of President Bush in his State of the
Union, the war of aggression against terrorism, the crusade
must continue and their targets are the small and weak
countries like the Philippines and other in the Asia Pacific
region", said protest leader Apo Alvarez, Philippines
President Gloria Arroyo, during a visit to London on Monday
(January 27) , said U.S. forces would only act as trainers
and not front-line fighters.
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