‘US strike in Mideast will not affect anti-terror drive in Mindanao’

A possible US military strike on Iraq will not affect counter-terrorism operations in the Philippines, the commander of US troops here said yesterday.

Col. Douglas Lengenfelder of the Joint Special Operations Task Force said the US government was committed to helping the Philippines against local Islamic "terrorist groups" for the long-term.

While a US war against the regime of Saddam Hussein could affect logistical support for counter-terrorism operations elsewhere, Legenfelder said American trainers will strive to accomplish their mission here.

"This operation is obviously separate from anything else that will occur elsewhere in the world," Legenfelder told reporters. "There is no effect in terms of what we want to accomplish, how long it will take to accomplish and who will accomplish it."

"There is obviously an effect in terms of support, if we need airplanes to bring people over and they are not available. Then there might be a slight delay," he said.

His statement came after chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said Monday that Iraq was still defying international demands to disarm, raising the possibility that US-led forces may soon attack that country.

An advance party of about a dozen US troops have arrived in the southern city of Zamboanga to prepare for the February opening of joint exercises, which will include training about 16 "light reaction companies" that could quickly respond to attacks.

Legenfelder would not say how many US troops would be involved in the 10-month program, but said about 60 to 80 soldiers would be present at any one time during the training exercises to be held in a jungle training camp in Zamboanga.

Filipino military officials earlier said about 200 to 300 US troops were scheduled to join the exercises in the south.

Last year, hundreds of US Special Forces troops were deployed to Zamboanga and in nearby Basilan island to assist and advise local troops in operations targeting the Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnap gang.

The Abu Sayyaf, which both Manila and Washington have linked to international terrorists, is wanted for the kidnapping and murder of Philippine and US nationals last year.

It is also blamed for a series of bombings in the southern Philippines, including an attack in Zamboanga City that killed a US soldier last October.

Legenfelder said additional security measures "have been taken to mitigate the threat" of a similar Abu Sayyaf attack.

"I would like to say there is a lot of things that we’ve done in terms of making a robust environment that is hopefully more secure and more protective for everybody," he said, but declined to give details for what he called security reasons.

Apart from last year’s operations against the Abu Sayyaf, US troops were also involved in humanitarian projects, including the renovation of at least two major hospitals in the rebel stronghold of Basilan, and the construction of roads, seaports and wells.

Lengenfelder conceded, however, that it would take some time before authorities can say that the mission has fully succeeded.

"It would probably take a while before the people start seeing the results of what we are talking about," he said. – AFP, Roel Pareño