ZAMBOANGA - The United States flew in 13 troops and their equipment to the southern Philippines yesterday, only hours after Philippine soldiers clashed nearby with Muslim rebels linked to Osama bin Laden.
A US Air Force C-17 transport plane landed in the southern city of Zamboanga with the troops, dressed in military fatigues and carrying automatic rifles, and vehicles for use in joint exercises that begin next week.
Hundreds of American soldiers are expected to participate in the exercises, widely seen as the biggest expansion of Washington's war against terrorism outside Afghanistan.
"It is the first time that a C-17 plane has landed in Zamboanga," said Lieutenant-General Roy Cimatu, the commanding officer of all Philippine troops in the southern region.
He said the US forces had come from Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii and in Okinawa, Japan.
At least eight Abu Sayyaf rebels linked to bin Laden's al Qaeda network were killed in a gunbattle with Philippine troops on Wednesday on the nearby island of Basilan, 900km south of Manila, Cimatu said.
"Two bodies were found there with rifles and there were two wounded on our side. We are still scouring the area for the others," he said, adding that the rebels had dragged away at least six other dead.
The clash occurred in a jungle area on the slope of a mountain in Basilan, an island three times the size of Singapore and stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, which has been holding an American missionary couple hostage there for almost eight months.
Next week's joint exercises won crucial backing this week when the National Security Council affirmed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's decision to accept US "help" in fighting the Abu Sayyaf.
The issue has polarised the country, with financial markets welcoming assistance in neutralising the rebels, who claim to be fighting for an independent Islamic state in the south but pursue kidnapping as their main activity.
The Government has been criticised for allowing US soldiers into the country for what is seen as a combat role against Islamic extremists.
Under the constitution, foreign troops are only allowed into the country for training and transit purposes.
The new arrivals will join about 50 US soldiers already in Zamboanga.
- REUTERS
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