Pacific Commander Assures Philippines of US Help Against Terrorists
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
February 11, 2005

Pacific Rim Bureau (CNSNews.com) - Pledging continued help in the Philippines' fight against terrorism, the outgoing chief of U.S. military forces in the Pacific said the two allies were working closely to ensure that al-Qaeda-linked terrorists were not present in the Southeast Asian country.

Admiral Thomas Fargo said the U.S. would continue to provide intelligence and military training to the Philippine armed forces; and he said the U.S.-Philippine cooperation had "produced a more capable Philippine military."

Fargo was speaking in Manila, where he paid a farewell visit to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

His visit comes at a time of renewed fighting in the country's restive south, where hundreds of followers of a jailed Muslim separatist leader recently launched fresh attacks on troops on the island of Jolo.

Scores of rebels and soldiers have died in the fighting this month, and on Friday it was reported that fresh troops who have undergone U.S. training arrived in the area.

The fighting involves followers of Nir Misauri, a leader of a large separatist group that signed a peace deal with the government in 1996. Misuari is on trial for rebellion, arising out of attacks mounted by his followers in 2001, despite the earlier agreement.

U.S. military assistance to the predominantly Catholic country has focused on the threat posed by another, smaller group, Abu Sayyaf, a violent gang whose kidnapping and murder victims have included Americans.

Philippine offensives against the Abu Sayyaf apparently led to the latest fighting, because strongholds of Misauri loyalists in Jolo were affected by the military campaign. Manila has also frequently accused Misauri followers of links to Abu Sayyaf.

But it is another, even more dangerous group that is of most concern to the Philippine and U.S. governments. Jemaah Islamiah (JI), known as al-Qaeda's proxy in South-East Asia, has carried out the deadliest attacks in the region since 9/11, including the Oct. 2002 Bali bombings.

Fargo said JI was the "principal concern" in the Philippines and broader region.

"We're working closely with the government of the Philippines to make sure that the JI is not present in the Philippines."

Several dozen JI members have been involved in clandestine training in southern Philippines, according to the government.

American troops have been training Filipino units in the south for three years.

Recently U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone told journalists that some 70 U.S. military intelligence operatives were training Filipino troops in intelligence-gathering and counter-terrorism.

His remarks unleashed a storm of protest from left-wing politicians and bodies, who demanded that the government expel what they called "American spies" whose presence violated Philippines sovereignty.

Arroyo's office dismissed the calls as reflecting the sentiment of a minority, saying the training was consistent with the provisions of a Visiting Forces Agreement in place between the two countries.

Fargo said such training had been going on for a number of years.

Arroyo conferred the outgoing Pacific Command chief with the Philippine Legion of Honor, her country's highest honor.

Fargo will be succeeded by Adm. William Fallon, the current commander of the U.S. Atlantic fleet.

Traditionally headed by a U.S. Navy officer, the Honolulu-based Pacific Command is responsible for all U.S. military activity in a region that encompasses more than 50 percent of the earth's surface and covers 16 time zones, from the U.S. west coast to Madagascar off Africa's east coast.