US Denies GIs Fighting in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines -- U.S. officials today denied American troops were violating Philippine laws by engaging in combat against Muslim militants, saying they were only training Filipino soldiers and their mission was temporary.

Allegations that U.S. troops in the southern Philippines are building permanent structures and joining the fight against al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have roiled nationalist and left-wing forces opposed to the American presence.

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"U.S. forces are not involved in combat operations," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said in a statement today. She said American troops were on temporary deployment at the invitation of the Philippine military and government.

The left-wing group Bayan, which has led anti-U.S. protests, and former Senate President Jovito Salonga have asked the Supreme Court to reconsider a decision to uphold the Visiting Forces Agreement, which governs the conduct of U.S. troops. They say the agreement infringes on Philippine sovereignty and violates a constitutional prohibition of foreign military bases.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's top Cabinet aide, defended the 1998 agreement, saying it was key to the defense of the Philippines.

The U.S. military presence is a sensitive issue in the former American colony. In 1991, the Philippine Senate under Salonga voted to close down two major U.S. bases.

Hmm. Well, I suppose I was getting a little bored hearing about Afghanistan all the time. This stuff is like crack to them, ain't it?

One rock just isn't ever enough. I'm really glad to hear that they are essentially just 'advisors.' Oh, yeah, I guess that's how Nam started, huh?

Yay America! You know what? I think I just saw an Al-Qaeda-backed grandmother at Luby's for the Early bird special. We need some troops in there NOW. They spread like the plague, ya know.

One thing that isn't a surprise is the "military advisor" angle. But those guys never fight. Like hell.

The history of the US military takeover in the Philippines is very interesting. At the time everyone was gearing up to persuade the public that "liberating" Iraq would be a Good Thing, I was reading Mark Twain's essays, some of which dealt with the US slaughter there, and some of which dealt with the explosion of chauvinistic nonsense that accompanied (or rather, obscured it. Some of the language used to justify the invasion of the Philippines was eerily similar to that used to justify the Iraq adventure.

Sadly, I no longer have the book, but it's well worth seeking out.

I guess that's why I only saw this news scroll across the screen but didn't hear anything more about our 2 dead soldiers.

2 Dead American Soldiers

Two US soldiers and a Filipino marine have been killed in a landmine blast on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, a Philippine army spokesman has said.

Two other Filipino soldiers were also wounded in the explosion, which hit their vehicle near the town of Indanan.