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February 5, 2002, AFP, Rebel group told to mark borders to avoid clash with US troops,

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February 5, 2002, AFP, Rebel group told to mark borders to avoid clash with US troops,
Tuesday 3:09 PM

The largest Muslim separatist group in the Philippines was asked to demarcate its territories to avoid clashes with US and Filipino troops pursuing another Muslim guerilla group.

Some leaders of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a ceasefire pact with the government pending peace talks, have warned they would fire on US soldiers who enter their zones of influence.

US forces are in the Philippines on a mission to help their local counterparts eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, a small Islamist group which has carried out a spate of kidnappings and has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Up to 660 US soldiers will be involved in the six-month operation. An American Christian missionary couple and a Filipina nurse are currently being held by the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan island.

A government panel laying the groundwork for peace talks with the MILF would tell the Front to "have safety measures" to avoid the entry of US forces into their territories, chief government peace negotiator Eduardo Ermita said Tuesday.

This would include setting markers on the ground to designate their areas and "coordination between (Philippine) field commanders and MILF field commanders to make sure that they will not let the Abu Sayyaf enter their territories while they are being pursued by the armed forces," Ermita said.

"They should take precautions so they don't get run over," Ermita said, adding that the government and the MILF would meet on the matter in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on February 11.

Despite the ceasefire between the government and the MILF, sporadic clashes still break out.

Two government soldiers were killed and a private doctor was wounded in two separate attacks by suspected MILF guerillas in the south on Monday. No reason was given for the two attacks

Meanwhile, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo returned Tuesday from a three-nation tour, vowing to forge ahead in the war against terrorism despite protests from militant groups and misgivings from her vice-president.

"The leaders and people of the world ... know and appreciate our unswerving stand against terrorism and poverty," Arroyo said on her return from a trip that took her to Britain, Canada and the United States.

She said she also discussed terrorism issues with King Abdullah of Jordan and he offered to provide the Philippines with intelligence on "international terrorists who maintain cells all over the region."

"He asked to send the head of my intelligence to Jordan so they can work out the intelligence fusion arrangements," Arroyo said without elaborating.

Arroyo's return home was marked by new rumblings from her vice president Teofisto Guingona over her decision to allow the US military deployment.

Guingona, who is also foreign minister, threatened to quit last month over the US presence but eventually backed down and stayed on.

In a radio interview Tuesday, Guingona expressed opposition to a reported presidential order cutting him out of a task force that monitors the US presence.

Leftist groups have been holding almost-daily protests against the deployment of US troops. But surveys indicate that most Filipinos welcome the Americans in the hope they will end the rash of kidnappings and killings by the Abu Sayyaf.

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