ZAMBOANGA CITY, 25 May 2007 — Philippine and US soldiers are set to begin a joint naval exercise off the southern island of Mindanao, where Filipino security forces are hunting down members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiyah.
Three US warships carrying 1,400 sailors and marines are expected in the next week for the 12-day drill to help root out militants on the archipelago’s remote isles.
Three Philippine Navy patrol boats with sailors and marines were also expected to take part in the annual exercises off the Sulu Archipelago, the southwestern tip of Mindanao and around the island of Basilan from May 31 to June 9.
Philippine military officials said the training is part of an annual activity between the two countries, but this would be the first time that a naval exercise would be held in the south.
Previous naval trainings were held in the northern Philippines.
“We welcome this training as it will improve our combat capabilities and strengthen military bilateral relations between the Philippines and the United States,” regional military spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara told Arab News.
The training, Batara said, is designed to enhance the ability of soldiers to fight terrorism and other maritime functions from rescue to interception.
Hundreds of US soldiers are currently stationed in the southern Philippines to help the Philippine military defeat Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf militants linked to the Al-Qaeda network.
In Compostela Valley province in the eastern part of Mindanao island, troops claimed to have killed two alleged Jemaah Islamiyah members in a clash with.
Officials said one soldier was also wounded in the fighting that broke out in the village of Napnapan in Pantukan town on Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the army’s First Scout Ranger Regiment, said troops stormed a suspected JI hideout and a firefight ensued. “When the smoke cleared, two JI terror men, both Filipinos, were dead,” he said, adding that the men were brothers.
Soldiers also recovered two M16 automatic rifles and an anti-tank rocket, Mapagu said.
