‘US won’t hunt other al-Qaeda-linked groups’

After Iraq, the United States won’t hunt other terrorists, including the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf.

US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone said President George W. Bush’s declaration about the end of major combat operations in Iraq has "specific legal and practical meaning."

Ricciardone said the declaration does not indicate that the US is ready to show the might of its armed forces, following the liberation of Iraq, and train its guns on terrorists.

"There are different ways of confronting al-Qaeda and we are using all of them including tracing the movement of their money around," he said.

Speaking during joint Philippine-US military exercises at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija recently, Ricciardone said the US was not looking for a combat zone in another country to fight terrorists after the defeat of Iraq.

"It’s not always combat," he said. "That is just one way to work against al-Qaeda and the people that support and work along with them."

The US is helping allies like the Philippines secure their borders against terrorists, equip their law enforcers and gather intelligence on terrorists, Ricciardone added.

Meanwhile, Ricciardone refused to confirm or deny whether the US would get involved in peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"I’m not gonna confirm that," he said. "We are in very close contact with Assistant Secretary (of State for East Asia) Matthew Daley who did come here for consultation with your government on what we might be able to do altogether, including terrorism. I will leave it for that now." – Pia Lee-Brago