Word: basilan
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...Sayyaf group called a radio station in Zamboanga to claim responsibility for the attack. Philippine authorities immediately shot his claim down. The home turf of Abu Sayyaf, which specialized in kidnapping-for-ransom before dedicating itself to jihad last year, is far away on the islands of Jolo and Basilan, southwest of Mindanao. Some suspect that the Abu Sayyaf wanted to take the blame to sound more fearsome than it currently is?or to shield the MILF, which is in peace talks with Manila. Those talks are now stalled, intensifying the sense of instability in the region: in mid-February...
...Front and the administration of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are in bad shape. Recent evidence linking the rebels to al-Qaeda has helped fuel a troubling escalation. The U.S., which last year assisted the Philippine army's efforts to eliminate Abu Sayyaf guerrillas on the southern island of Basilan, will soon send 1,700 troops back to the region, including 350 members of the special forces, to help finish the job. But this go-round they'll be on the island of Jolo, a far more lawless place, and unlike last year, the Pentagon says American soldiers will take...
...Brigadier General Donald Wurster declared the mission "an absolute success." In a piece of agitprop reminiscent of mid-century American police actions, the U.S. is both leaving and returning simultaneously: in the same breath as declaring victory, American officials said 80 to 100 special forces agents will remain in Basilan through October, when more U.S. soldiers will be redeployed in the Philippines...
...Americans were directly involved in the mission (the Philippine constitution bars foreign troops from combat inside the country), local military officials credit the Americans with helping to track the rebels to southern Mindanao about two weeks ago, following intelligence reports that they had left their former base on nearby Basilan Island...
...Americans were directly involved in the mission (the Philippine constitution bars foreign troops from combat inside the country), local military officials credit the Americans with helping to track the rebels to southern Mindanao about two weeks ago, following intelligence reports that they had left their former base on nearby Basilan Island...