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US troops build roads in Philippine aid project
American troops will repair schools, roads and do other civic projects as part of annual joint exercises launched in Mindanao yesterday aimed at fighting grassroots support for Al Qaida-linked militants, US military officials said. We know that terrorists here get some support from the local population, but that level of support continues to decrease with more humanitarian projects, said Maj. John Redfield, a spokesman for the US contingent. We are seeing more and more people come forward with information against the terrorists, and certainly we encourage people to continue to do that, he told The Associated Press. He also cited recent Philippine battlefield successes for declining support for the Abu Sayyaf, who authorities say number about 400 on the pre-dominantly Muslim island of Jolo, about 950 km south of Manila. More than 7,000 Filipino soldiers, backed by US military surveillance and other non-combatant assistance, have been waging an offensive in Jolo that has so far led to the killing of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and his presumed successor, Jainal Antel Sali Jr. or Abu Sulaimanboth wanted by US and Philippine authorities. A manhunt continues for other Abu Sayyaf commanders and two top Indonesian militants who are wanted for their alleged role in the 2002 nightclub bombings that killed 202 people on Indonesias Bali Island. Philippine Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, who is overseeing the Jolo offensives, on Saturday vowed to capture or kill the remaining militants before the May 14 local and congressional elections. Aside from helping repair a 4-km road, the American troops will renovate school buildings and clinics in Jolo. In nearby Tawi Tawi province, US troops will help build a pier and a boat ramp. US troops will also offer medical assistance in impoverished central Mindanao, including Makilala town, where a bomb attack by suspected Muslim guerrillas killed eight people last year, Redfield said. US and Philippine troops are also holding drills on crisis action planning to help them deal with terrorists at sea, along with piracy, drug smuggling and infrastructure protection, the US embassy said in a statement. Posted by: ryuge 2007-02-19 |
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