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CNN Live At Daybreak

U.S. May Face More Than Abu Sayyaf in Philippines

Aired February 05, 2002 - 06:05   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pentagon is spending - sending rather some of its soldiers to the Philippines where they're helping train Philippine soldiers to deal with terrorists.

But the situation is messy on the ground and CNN's Maria Ressa tells us the United States may be getting involved in something more than it bargained for.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When soldiers here see men with guns they fire, otherwise they run the risk of being ambushed. Although their target is the al Qaeda link Abu Sayyaf, which continues to hold two Americans and one Filipino hostage, there are also rebels from the largest Muslim separatist group the MILF and renegade members of the MNLF, which staged a rebellion last year.

Add to that mercenaries, criminals, and vigilantes, and you can see why it's hard to tell friend from foe. Here soldiers thought they attacked the Abu Sayyaf killing one man. The group turned out to be civilian volunteers armed by the military.

ANTONIO TOLENTINO, CIVILIAN VOLUNTEER (through translator): We thought the Abu Sayyaf was firing at us, says this volunteer now in a military hospital. We just ran.

RESSA (voice-over): In the coming weeks about 160 U.S. Special Forces are expected to join Filipino combat patrols. They will be armed and can fire back in self-defense. Although cases of mistaken identity happen often, they could become flash points for nationalists if an American soldier is involved.

There are other dangers. Hundreds of MILF rebels on Basilan say they will shoot American soldiers who enter their territory. Communist rebels who have been fighting the government since 1969 echo the same warning.

RODOLFO BIAZON, PHILIPPINE SENATOR: If the American troops are put in combat situations and these other armed groups are sucked into the situation, the combat situation, then we will have a problem (ph). We will have some problems.

RESSA (voice-over): Last week an American tourist was ambushed and killed, says the Army, by suspected Communist rebels. The group may also have fired on a U.S. Special Forces plane taking part in another joint exercise in the north. (on camera): This is some of what American soldiers have brought here to the southern command headquarters in Zamboanga. They're here for now, but over the next few weeks about 160 will be deployed in combat areas in Basilan. Their presence there, warns some policymakers, could shift the nature of some of the conflicts in America's only former colony in Asia and could well make American soldiers primary targets.

Maria Ressa, CNN, Zamboanga City, the Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And the Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo says she has a role for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in her country's war on terrorism. The Philippine president wants his Honor, pardon us, his former Honor to be a consultant on law and order. It is not clear just what Giuliani would do in the Philippines, but it's likely he'd be dealing with gangs and kidnapped business leaders.

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