The US role in the Philippines (catch all)

[Quiet Pro]

Sir-

Thank you for providing the link. Of course, when a US Service member is killed it is a sad day but this one hits a lot closer to home.

Jeremy

[davidbfpo]

The BBC News report adds some context: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/8279852.stm (Incudentally far more coverage on the natural disasters in the region).

davidbfpo

[max161]

New group BNLA claims responsibility for killing US commandos in Jolo

Sunday, 04 October 2009 0 0:00

By Al Jacinto, Reporter

ZAMBOANGA CITY: A previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for the roadside bombing that killed two US Special Forces soldiers and a Filipino Marine in Jolo on September 29 and alleged that American troops have been engaged in combat operations in the southern Philippines.
Madarang Sali, who identified himself as deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Army (BNLA), said the attack in Indanan town that claimed the lives of Sergeant 1st Class Christopher Shaw of Markham, Illinois, 37; and Staff Sergeant Jack Martin 3rd of Bethany, Oklahoma, 26, was in retaliation for what he said were continued operations by American and Filipino troops against the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Sulu province.

Even before the attack, allegations have been raised of US involvement in combat operations in the country, a violation of both the Philippine Constitution and the Visiting Forces Agreement.

The MNLF signed a peace deal with the government in September 1996, but many of its members remain disgruntled with the accord and have accused the government of failing to uplift their living standards.
Shaw and Martin belonged to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, the US Department of Defense said, contrary to earlier pronouncements by the Philippine military that the two were members of the Seabees, the US Navy’s construction battalion.

Sali said in a statement that MNLF and BNLA fighters planted the improvised explosive device that killed the three soldiers and wounded two more Philippine Marines.

“The BNLA and MNLF members planted the bomb. The US forces are really involved in the operations in Sulu. The landmine used in the attack was that of the BNLA,” Sali said, belying statements by Marine Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, blaming the Abu Sayyaf for the attack and the subsequent bombing of bridges in Sulu.

Dolorfino earlier said government forces were tracking down 200 Abu Sayyaf fighters led by four senior commanders—Dr. Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan—and two operatives of the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiaah, Mauiya and Quayem.

“It is purely the operations of the BNLA and the MNLF, not the Abu Sayyaf or the Jemaah Islamiah,” Sali said.

The BNLA is led by Lt. Gen. Abdulnasser Iskandar, and the MNLF fighters are under the command of
Ustadz Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibun and Tahil Usman, Sali said.

Sali, who also described himself as the spokesman of the Bangsamoro Federated States of Sulu Archipelago, said fighting again broke out on Saturday afternoon in Bunot village in Indanan.

It was also in the town where Marines assaulted what authorities claim was the main Abu Sayyaf camp in
Sulu on Eid’l Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There has been talk that US Special Forces troops joined this operation, which the military said left 42 combatants dead.

Sali last week said the military offensive actually targeted the MNLF in Sulu. He said Ajibun escaped a military raid last week.

Sali said only 10 MNLF rebels had been killed in the fighting—seven under Malik and three under the command of Ajibun.

He warned of more attacks against the Americans if they continue participating in combat operations in Sulu. The US and the Philippine government maintain that no Americans are engaged in combat despite persistent reports from civilians and civil society groups.

“Fighting again erupted and they will suffer defeat. The Bangsamoro revolutionary forces have declared a jihad [holy war] against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine government for the Bangsamoro homeland,” said Sali.

The clashes erupted after the rebels bombed a bridge in Bunot on Friday, the third time in two weeks they have attacked a bridge.

On Thursday, the rebels ambushed Marines in Panamao town, sparking a fierce firefight that left one soldier and three rebels dead. Nine soldiers were also wounded.
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php...mandos-in-jolo

[max161]

MNLF ally owns up to attack on US troops
10/03/2009 | 07:10 PM


ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A group claiming to be allied with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) of Nur Misuari claimed responsibility on Saturday for a roadside bombing that killed two US Navy personnel and a Filipino marine in Jolo Island last Tuesday.

Madarang Sali, deputy commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Army, said the attack on the American soldiers was in retaliation for the continued operations of the US and Philippine military against the MNLF in the southern province of Sulu.

“The BNLA and MNLF members planted the bomb. The US forces are really involved in the operations in Sulu. The land mine used in the attack was that of the BNLA," Sali said in a statement.

The MNLF, chaired by former Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Nur Misuari, has maintained its armed units despite its after the group signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government.

The MNLF signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, but many of its members were disgruntled with the accord and accused the government of failing to uplift their living standards.

Sali last week said the military offensive targeted the MNLF in Sulu. He said Ajibun escaped a military raid last week in the province.

Sali said fighting between rebels and government troops broke out again late Saturday afternoon in the village of Bunot in Indanan town.

“Fighting again erupted (in the village) and they will suffer defeat.The Bangsamoro revolutionary forces have declared a jihad (holy war) against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine government for the Bangsamoro homeland," said Sali, who is also the spokesman for the Bangsamoro Federated States of Sulu Archipelago.

The clashes erupted after rebel forces bombed a bridge late Friday in the village of Bunot. It was the third time rebels bombed bridges in Sulu in a span of two weeks.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the bombing of the bridges and the attack on the US forces.

Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leaders – Dr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan – including two foreign Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 followers.

But Sali said Dolorfino was just engaging in propaganda. “It is purely the operations of the BNLA and the MNLF, not the Abu Sayyaf or the Jemaah Islamiya," he said.

He said the BNLA is headed by Lieutenant General Abdulnasser Iskandar, while the MNLF are under the command of Ustadz Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibun and Tahil Usman.

The killing of the two US Special Forces soldiers further bolstered suspicions that American troops are often engaged in counterterrorism operations in Sulu, where 42 militants and soldiers were killed in recent clashes in Indanan town.

The Philippine military previously blamed the extremist Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah for the attack on the US soldiers. It said those killed in the roadside bombing were non-combatants, but members of the US Navy Seabees who were involved in humanitarian missions in Sulu.

US Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney earlier said the soldiers “lost their lives serving others and we will always be grateful for their contributions to improve the quality of life on Jolo."

The military did not immediately respond to Sali’s claim.

Sali said only 10 MNLF rebels were killed in the fighting – seven under Malik and three more under the command of Ajibun. He warned of more attacks against US troops if they continue participating in combat operations in Sulu.

US troops have been are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and assisting the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians and various civil groups that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other parts of Mindanao.

On Thursday, Moro rebels ambushed Marines in Sulu’s Panamao town, sparking a fierce firefight that left one soldier and three gunmen dead. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the clashes. - Geonarri Solmerano, GMANews.TV
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173747/m...k-on-us-troops

[Bill Moore]

What the local insurgents are writing on their websites.

http://www.luwaran.net/index.php?opt...ews&Itemid=372

August 27, 2009 - The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Sulu is bracing for war after the government forces assaulted the MNLF lair in Matanguli Island, Balabac Palawan on August 19 which resulted to the death of 7 MNLF regular members.

http://www.luwaran.net/index.php?opt...ews&Itemid=372

The call to jihad circulating in Sulu and nearby islands, purportedly coming from Commander Habier Malik of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is verified as true and genuine.

Malik studied in one of the Islamic universities in Saudi Arabia and it is only logical that he gives Islamic color to his efforts, the report added.

http://mnlf.net/ENCOUNTERS/Marang%20...20Soldiers.htm

With the death of two U.S. soldiers in Sulu doing developmental works, according to reports, it’s now high time for President Obama to listen. “Piecemeal solution like constructing school building, clinic or a stretch of road in the conflict-affected areas here is not the solution to the problem,” said the MNLF secretary general. Since the American government has a hand in this lingering problem in the South of the Philippines, the same American government must again help in resolving it.

When asked how, the Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University graduate said: America and the United Nations must exercise their governmental influence and institutional rights in implementing fully all their pertinent resolutions, mandate and covenants, particularly the one—The Granting of Independence to all Colonized Countries and Peoples of the World—vis-à-vis, the Bangsamoro country.

[Dayuhan]

The terms "IED" and "land mine" are used interchangeably in local media reports. My understanding is that the device was of the type commonly used by the communist NPA, detonated by a direct observer.

The "Bangsamoro National Liberation Army" is a new arrival, possibly yet another MNLF splinter faction, possibly a rather grandiose name for the followers of a single autonomous leader or group of such leaders. There's no shortage of armed groups in the area and affiliation with any one umbrella group is often nominal and transient. We'll see.

Given the recent threat by the CPP/NPA to target US personnel and given the close similarity to devices and tactics the NPA has been using for years, I have to wonder if there could be some collaboration involved. By no means certain, but a possibility.

There has been a good deal of talk in Manila lately about US forces engaging in combat, which would violate the existing Visiting Forces Agreement. It's driven largely by the left, which has limited influence but is capable of making a good deal of noise, but a number of mainstream politicians have picked up on it, largely to be seen wielding the nationalist card in the upcoming elections, and simply because the issue draws media coverage. The GMA administration is talking about renegotiating the agreement, which would probably result in few if any changes, but there will be pressure to terminate it.

This incident is being used to support claims that US forces are operating in combat zones. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but very recently a female Philippine Navy officer, who had previously (and I suspect accurately) accused senior officers of appropriating funds for joint exercises, came out with a whole barrage of charges against US forces in the area. Among others, she claimed that US forces were participating in combat operations, were having prostitutes shipped into camps to service them, were engaging in racist behaviour toward Filipino officers, etc etc. Before that we had the infuriatingly avoidable circus of the Daniel Smith rape case. Of course all the allegations have two (or more) sides, but the media and politicians eat it up and the politicians and a segment of the populace does take note. The government of course denies all but at this point the government has so little trust that their denial is reflexively taken as confirmation.

There is of course a great deal of talk about ulterior or self-serving motives on the part of the US. In some ways I think the best US policy would be to announce that unless the post-election government clearly indicates a desire to continue the current operation, the US will unilaterally terminate it. That would effectively cancel out the allegations that the US is angling for a permanent presence and toss the ball back to the GRP, and when push came to shove I think most officials - even many of those who like to make an issue of the deployment - would prefer to see the US presence continue.