US troops rile Filipino separatists

The Burnhams are one of the reasons that the US is so interested in the Abu Sayyaf. The other is because its original leadership had ties to Al Qaeda.

"We are there only to help pursue the Abu Sayyaf, and will confine our activities to Basilan," says a US official, pointing out that Muslims have been among the chief victims of the Abu Sayyaf. "The objective is to help the Philippines fight terrorism."

But even the best of intentions can hit a snag in the tortured politics of the southern Philippines, where many farmers go armed for their protection, half a dozen rebel and bandit groups occupy overlapping territories, and there is no consensus within the government about what should be done.

While the Abu Sayyaf aren't popular, the MILF are widely viewed as fighting a legitimate struggle for the political and economic rights of the region's Muslims, who make up about 8 percent of the Philippine population. The Spanish called them Moros after the Muslim Moors of North Africa.

"Large numbers of Muslims support them,'' says Mr. Loong. "The Muslim apprehension is that the Abu Sayyaf will flee, soldiers will encounter the MILF instead, and a much bigger conflict will erupt."

Philippine military commanders have said there's little chance of making mistakes: "The other armed groups have been keeping out of the way, so any contacts will be made only with the Abu Sayyaf," says Lt. Col. Reynato Padua, the commanding officer of Camp Cabunbata, a Philippine Scout Ranger camp on Basilan that will soon host US trainers.

But the lines between counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency are already becoming blurred. Philippine police say an alleged Al Qaeda agent, the Indonesian Fathur Roman Al-Ghozi they have in custody, helped the MILF conduct bombings in Manila two years ago. Philippine Army officials say the MILF is aiding the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan.

"The MILF harbor the Abu Sayyaf on Basilan; they provide them a base of operations,'' says Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan, the Armed Forces spokesman nearby. "So action should be taken."

The scholarly Mr. Julabi, who is responsible for the MILF troops in southern Mindanao and in the smaller islands to the south, calls the military's claims "fabrications to destroy our reputation. I don't deny that some of our cadres received training in Afghanistan in the past. But that was with the CIA!"

Some Muslim leaders here wanted the US to make Muslims a state when the Philippines won its independence, and Julabi says his organization is still interested. "Make us a state, like Hawaii," he says.

Failing that, the MILF would like a referendum on independence or autonomy within the Philippines similar to the UN-sponsored vote in 1999 that led to East Timor's independence from Indonesia. "The US supported the East Timor referendum, but not us. The only difference I can see between the two situations is that they are Catholics, and we're not."

Page: 1 | 2