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Thursday, September 28, 2006
Immigration holds 140 US troopers in Zambo
By Al Jacinto
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- At least 140 US soldiers participating in a new joint anti-terrorism training were briefly held Tuesday by Filipino immigration authorities in Zamboanga City after some problems with their documents.
The soldiers arrived on a chartered plane late Tuesday and were held at the Zamboanga International Airport for several hours until all their papers and identities were properly processed by immigration people.
Colonel Antonio Supnet, a local army task force commander, said the US troops arrived to train Filipino troops in fighting terrorism in the restive region, where local security forces are hunting down members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Jemaah Islamiya.
"They are here to train our soldiers and conduct humanitarian mission as part of a bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the United States. They will replace some soldiers who are to return home after being here for a while," Supnet said.
Supnet said immigration people allowed the US troops after thoroughly examining their documents.
"The US soldiers went through a routine immigration process just as every foreigner coming here. There is a documentation process and we have to follow this rule," he said.
The US soldiers were later allowed to go to a Philippine Army base in the village of Malagutay to join other American forces stationed there, he said.
Supnet said the soldiers will be deployed in Jolo island in the Sulu archipelago and in central Mindanao to train local troops in anti-terrorism warfare. "This is a routine. US soldiers come and go," he said.
Many US troops deployed in the southern Philippines came from military bases as far as Hawaii and Japan. It was not immediately known how many US soldiers are returning to their bases, but among those who are leaving is Army Colonel James Linder, commander of US military forces.
Colonel David Maxwell will replace Linder as new commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines. Linder had served for almost a year as task force commander.
The US military, on the request of the Filipino government, is assisting and advising the Armed Forces of the Philippines in fighting homegrown terrorism. (Sunnex)
(September 28, 2006 issue)
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