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| Southeast Asia |
| MILF warns the US to say out of their area |
| 2004-07-06 |
| The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday warned the United States forces who would be participating in a small-scale Philippines-US war games in Central Mindanao not to touch the group to prevent skirmishes. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu told Today in a telephone interview that the Front has no plan to disrupt this monthâs joint RP-US military exercises to train Filipino soldiers against terrorists belonging to the al-Qaeda linked Jemaâah Islamiyah. âIf they [US forces] will not enter our [perimeter], we assure them that there would be no skirmish. We have a directive to our troops in the area to remain in a defensive position while the training is going on,â he pointed out. Carmen is a known bailiwick of the Moro rebels. âThe Philippine government and [our group] have an existing cease-fire agreement. We hope that the participants in the military exercises will observe the agreement,â Kabalu stressed. Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the military exercise, involving 20 US Special Forces from Okinawa, Japan, and 160 Filipino soldiers, will be held in Carmen town in North Cotabato province starting July 26 and will last for three weeks. North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, a known critic of the rebel group, has given assurance that the exercises will not target members of the MILF in the area. Kabalu said the Moro rebels has about a thousand fighters operating in Carmen alone. âWe push and support the holding of a small-scale Balikatan there [Carmen] because it will be a great help to our soldiers,â Piñol said. At the same time, outgoing Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia expressed confidence that the conduct of the RP-US joint military exercise in Carmen town will not affect the scheduled resumption of peace negotiations between the government and the separatist MILF. Garcia issued the statement even as he said that US troops participating in the military exercises will be confined only to the 200-hectare training site in the town. The site houses the camp of the Armyâs 602nd Brigade. âGoing outside of that training site will be a violation of the terms of reference [for the Americans],â Garcia said. Garcia, who is scheduled to retire today as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56, is the head of the governmentâs Coordinating Committee in the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH). He said he will continue to be involved in the peace process with the rebels even after his retirement. Garcia said the training will not involve actual operations. âIt can be a classroom-oriented type of exercise only,â he said. âItâs only a special operations exercises. Part of that will be life-saving exercise, communications training, medical exercise, particularly treating the wounded so that they will not die before they reach the hospital.â Garcia added. Besides Carmen, American soldiers will also carry out exercises this year in military camps in Zamboanga City. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 (--insert misc. hot mom related comment here--) |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-07-06 5:26:06 PM |