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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 15, 2002

US Troops Won't Fight Abu Sayyaf: Spokesman

U.S. soldiers are not allowed to join actual combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf who was held responsible for the deaths of an American and a local hostage, a military spokesman reiterated Saturday.


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U.S. soldiers are not allowed to join actual combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf who was held responsible for the deaths of an American and a local hostage, a military spokesman reiterated Saturday.

The 1,000 U.S. troops participating in the ongoing joint military exercises in the southern Philippines "are here for training, assistance and advisory," retired Major General Mel Rosales said, citing the Terms of Reference guiding the exercises, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer online news report.

As of Friday, however, Rosales said he had not received any official report from the military Southern Command about U.S. troops awaiting orders for deployment in the manhunt against the Abu Sayyaf in Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte province.

American hostage Martin Burnham and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap were killed in a military rescue operation in Sirawai on June 7 while Martin's wife, Gracia, was wounded but rescued. The three were the last hostages of the bandit group's latest kidnapping spree which began in May last year.

Jaime Yambao, head of a presidential team monitoring the conduct of the joint exercises, said Friday that 160 American troops are on standby in Zamboanga city for orders to join Filipino soldiers pursuing remnants of the Abu Sayyaf group in Sirawai.

After the June 7 tragedy, the Philippine military has intensified its operations in the southern islands of Basilan and Jolo, two Abu Sayyaf strongholds, as well as in Zamboanga del Norte to finish this whole group, allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

The Philippine government has also sought assistance from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in capturing the bandits who would attempt to flee the country.


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