Some 250 US troops have arrived in the Philippines for a joint military exercise and anti- terrorism training, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Rumsfeld said more than 200 of the troops will take part in the joint military exercise with Philippine forces which will last two and a half weeks, while several dozens of others are in an advance team for US. special forces who will provide counter-terrorism training for the Philippine forces.
The training group will eventually increase to 600, according to US officials.
Rumsfeld indicated that the cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines are part of US efforts to expand the war against terrorism.
"What's taking place in the Philippines is that this is a global problem, that we are addressing it globally, not just in Afghanistan," he said.
US President George W. Bush vowed to help Manila fight Muslim extremists led by Abu Sayyaf during a visit to Washington by Philippine President Macapagal Arroyo last November.
Asked if there is evidence the Abu Sayyaf group was involved in the September 11 attacks on America, Rumsfeld stressed that there is no question that there have been "linkages" between terrorism in the Philippines and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
He said that a terrorist network didn't have to be involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in order to be targets in the campaign against terrorism.
(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2002)
