February 22, 2002, The Manila Times, US troops to fight Abu Sayyaf in Sulu,

February 22, 2002, The Manila Times, US troops to fight Abu Sayyaf in Sulu,

WASHINGTON — The United States is sending 750 American ground troops to the Philippines to support Filipino combat patrols fighting Muslim rebels, a Pentagon official said on Thursday. The Pentagon official said the new contingent of 350 special operations forces and 400 support personnel would begin arriving in the Philippines "in coming days" to support a Philippine-led offensive against the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas.

A story by The New York Times, published in its Web site, placed the number of US troops at "more than 1,700." "In this effort, the US soldiers will work side-by-side in an offensive effort with the Philippine military," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There is a greater number (of US forces) that will be offshore in ships in a variety of capacities should they be needed,” the official added.

The official said the American troops would be under US command and that an advance military assessment team would be arriving in the next few days to begin laying the groundwork for the operation. Some 1,300 US troops were deployed to the Philippines last year to take part in anti-terrorism training exercises and to advise the Philippine military in their effort to subdue Abu Sayyaf.

Numbering about 400, the Abu Sayyaf is mostly a kidnap-for-ransom gang claiming to fight for an Islamic state in the south. The United States has blacklisted the group as a terrorist organization with links to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network. The Philippine government announced on Monday that the United States was sending troops to a rebel stronghold in the southern Philippines for a training exercise.

The Philippine Constitution expressly forbids foreign troops from fighting on Philippine soil. US special forces are due to begin training local units in Mindanao on Feb. 24. Other exercises are planned for Sulu, the heart of Abu Sayyaf country. The start date is being kept under wraps but likely is to be some time in March. About 1,000 US soldiers participated in similar training exercises last year. Manila has been an ardent supporter of the Washington- led war on terror and its military has benefited from US training and equipment. The two countries signed a military re-supply pact in November. The New York Times, quoting one Pentagon official, said the operation will last as long as necessary “to disrupt and destroy” the Abu Sayyaf.

The Times said that aside from the 750 ground troops that will conduct or support combat patrols, "about 1,000 marines, armed with Cobra attack helicopters and Harrier AV-8B attack planes, will stand ready aboard two ships offshore to act as a quick-response force, and provide logistics and medical support."

The new combat operation "reflects the Pentagon's growing concern that militant Islamic networks pose an increasing threat to Americans in Southeast Asia," The Times said. "It also indicates that the mission with Philippine forces last year on Basilan failed to quell the Muslim rebels." The Armed Forces have made significant strides in fighting the Abu Sayyaf recently. A top Abu Sayyaf commander, Mujib Susukan, was reported by the military to have died on Wednesday from wounds suffered during a government assault on his hideout on Jolo a day earlier. -- With Reuters