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CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Sends More Troops to Philippines

Aired February 16, 2002 - 12:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The United States is sending more Special Operations troops to the Philippines. CNN's Jonathan Aiken is at the Pentagon with details -- hi, Jonathan.

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka.

About three dozen U.S. Special Forces are joining what eventually will be 600 U.S. troops in the Philippines, and these soldiers are going to be serving as advisers to Philippine forces, who have been busy hunting Abu Sayyaf, that Muslim group. They have been looking for them for over a year now.

The activity is taking place; 250 other soldiers actually already in Zamboanga, an area that is adjacent to Basilan Island. Basilan Island is in the southern part of the Philippines, and Basilan is also known as one of the bases of operations for Abu Sayyaf, a group that, as you say, U.S. authorities claim has ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization.

Now, the U.S. troops who are coming there are gearing up for a joint training exercise with the Philippine units, and this is going to be a lengthy war game. Six months this training exercise will last, and you can call these war games with an edge, because the U.S. and Philippine soldiers are going to be using real ammunition, live ammo, and they're going to be following and shooting at real target.

Now, the Philippine troops, being advised by these Americans, have been fighting Abu Sayyaf forces in the jungles for over a year on the island of Basilan. Abu Sayyaf claims it wants freedom from the Muslim dominated change predominantly in the southern part of the Philippines. Others, both in and out of the Philippine government, say that Abu Sayyaf is predominantly a group of mercenaries, who fund their efforts the through kidnapping.

Right now, they are holding a Filipino nurse, and they are also holding two American missionaries, Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas. The Burnhams have been hostages of Abu Sayyaf now since last May. No word on the fate of the Burnhams. They were last seen in Basilan sometime in late January.

I should tell you that Abu Sayyaf, a tough bunch as we say, have been keeping the Philippine soldiers at bay for about a year now, but it's somewhat of a lopsided fight. There is only about 80 guerrillas said to be active on Basilan vs. about 5,000 Filipino forces -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much -- Jonathan Aiken from Washington at the Pentagon there.

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