January 4, 2002, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25 US advisers arriving to play more active role, by Carlito Pablo,

January 4, 2002, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 25 US advisers arriving to play more active role, by Carlito Pablo,

MORE US military advisers are arriving this month to play a more active role in the local counter-terrorist drive as President Macapagal-Arroyo pledged to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf within three months.

Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan, Armed Forces spokesperson, said up to 25 US military advisers were expected to arrive in Western Mindanao on Jan. 15 "to train, advise and assist" Philippine troops in operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

"They (US advisers) will not be here to fight," Adan said. "But they will be helping us develop our fighting capabilities. The training will be on counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering and psychological operations."

In Malacanang, presidential spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao said Manila and Washington had agreed to step up cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Tiglao said Philippine military and defense officials had drawn up a plan with the US Pacific Command for greater cooperation in fighting the Abu Sayyaf.

"The President will make a decision on the plan next week," he said.

Tiglao said Ms Macapagal was seeking the "complete and total annihilation of the criminal terrorist Abu Sayyaf group" by the end of March.

Both Manila and Washington have linked the Abu Sayyaf bandits to the al-Qaida terrorist network of Osama Bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

The bandits are holding hostage US Christian missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas, and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap in the jungles of Basilan.

Tiglao said the US advisers were expected to teach Filipino officers how specific operations should be undertaken.

"For instance, how a terrain should be approached, how troops should be deployed. It's because they have the experience in anti-terrorist campaigns, especially in Afghanistan," he said.

Tiglao said the "heightened level of assistance and cooperation" between Manila and Washington would be undertaken within the framework of the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement and US Security Council Resolution No. 1368 that was adopted last year to combat international terrorism.

"We emphasize, though, that the plan does not involve the deployment of American combat troops but only of US military and anti-terrorist consultants under the strict supervision of AFP officers," Tiglao said.

Adan said the US military advisers would "work and cooperate under a Filipino commander" based at the Southern Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.

Several US Army communications experts have already arrived to set up a communications center at the Southcom headquarters.

US military advisers last year trained the first batch of Filipino counter-terrorism units now operating with some 5,000 other soldiers in Basilan.

Adan also said the AFP was expecting the arrival of at least eight UH-1H "Huey" helicopters from the United States which would be equipped with night flying equipment.

This would be "a dramatic increase in terms of capability" of the AFP that currently does not have any helicopters that can fly at night.

The military is also hoping to get 30,000 M-16 rifles and almost a hundred motor vehicles as part of military assistance package, according to Adan.

Still in Basilan

In Zamboanga City, the Southcom deputy chief yesterday said the Burnhams were still in the custody of Basilan-based bandit leaders Abu Sabaya and Khadaffy Janjalani contrary to speculations the American couple had been brought to nearby Sulu.

Col. Francisco Gudani said it was impossible for the Abu Sayyaf to have passed the hostages to another group because of the heavy presence of soldiers and policemen in Basilan.

"They could not do that without passing through our troops. So the rumors are false," Gudani said.

He said there was no truth either to speculations that the United States was set to take over the rescue operations following the pullout of at least two Marine battalions from Basilan.

Gudani said that the two Marine battalions had been deployed in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

At least three Marine battalions and nine Army battalions remain in Basilan. With reports from Julie S. Alipala, PDI Mindanao Bureau