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| Saturday, November 10, 2001, updated at 21:51(GMT+8) |
US War Ship Arrives in Philippine for Port Call |
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USS Germantown arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport in the northwestern Philippines on Saturday for a five-day call, two months after the September 11 terror attack in the United States.
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USS Germantown arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport in the northwestern Philippines on Saturday for a five-day call, two months after the September 11 terror attack in the United States.
USS Germantown's Commanding Officer Bradley D. Martin said the ship's visit has nothing to do with the on-going attacks against Afghanistan and the local military operations against the Abu Sayyaf bandits in the Southern Philippines, the Philippine News Agency reported.
"Our personnel has enjoyed the freeport's climate and security during their stay here in Subic last year, so we decided to come Manila after our pacific operation in East Timor," Martin was quoted as saying.
The local police has reportedly deployed more policeman and sea patrols to ensure the security of some 700 U.S. servicemen during their stay.
In June last year, USS Germantown was in the former U.S. naval base with five other U.S. ships for a two-week joint military exercise with the Philippine Navy.
Last week, some 10 U.S. F-18 fighter jets and military transport planes stopped in the Philippines to refuel while on route from Japan to an undisclosed destination.
Last month, a team of more than 20 U.S. military advisers came to the country to assess the local military operations against the Abu Sayyaf, which allegedly had links with Osama bin Laden.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has promised to give "all-out support" to U.S. military strikes against terrorism and allowed the U.S. military to use the Philippine airspace as well as its airports and seaports as refueling and staging points, including Subic and Clark, two former American military bases in the country.
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