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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Servicemen will defend selves if attacked: US officials
By Bong Garcia and Ulysses Israel
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- A commanding general of the US Army reiterated that American servicemen in joint exercises with Filipino troops in the southern Philippines will not participate in any combat operations, but will defend themselves if attacked.
Dubbed the Balikatan 2007, the military drills are ongoing in the province of Sulu, where Filipino troops are pursuing local and foreign terrorists.
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Some 390 US servicemen are in Sulu for the Balikatan 2007 that officially started Monday and would end on March 4.
The statement of Brown, who is commander of the US army based in Fort Shafter, Hawaii, came a day after co-director of the exercise, Major General Stephen Douglas Tom, said US troops are ready to shoot and defend themselves if attacked.
Upon his arrival here, Brown proceeded directly to Camp Don Basilio Navarro that houses the military's Western Mindanao Command, where he was briefed on the prevailing situation in Sulu.
Thousands of Filipino troops have been pursuing the remaining al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf top leaders and members including Jemaah Islamiya terrorists in the hinterlands of Sulu.
Two top Abu Sayyaf leaders, namely Khadafy Janjalani and Jainal Antel Salih Jr. alias Abu Solaiman, were killed in the continuous offensive dubbed as Operations Plan Ultimatum.
Brown was accompanied to Sulu by Colonel David Maxwell, chief of the Zamboanga-based Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).
A battalion of Filipino troops was designated to secure the US servicemen while they conduct humanitarian works, a component of the joint exercises.
Brown has been assigned in different countries like Germany, Honduras, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, South Korea, and Bosnia aside from different states in the US prior to his present post as US Army chief in the Pacific.
He praised the Philippine government's campaign against global terrorism, seeing great success and tremendous plan coming to fruition during a visit to Zamboanga City, en route to Sulu to visit the ongoing joint military exercises.
Brown praised the cooperation of the Philippine government in the weeding out of terrorist elements in the country despite the death of a US serviceman three days after his arrival here.
Corporal Timothy Lewis succumbed to a heart attack around 3:30 p.m. last Friday and died in a Sulu hospital while undergoing treatment.
"I see great success and tremendous plan coming to fruition," the US Army general said when asked how the Philippines is faring in its efforts to combat global terrorism. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (February 21, 2007 issue)
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