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ZAMBOANGA CITY: Unidentified gunmen on Tuesday
attacked a Philippine Army convoy in the southern province of Lanao
del Norte, where US and Filipino troops are to begin their
anti-terror training exercises next month, officials said.
A Simba armored personnel carrier
was hit by an M203 grenade fired by gunmen near a bridge in Pantar
town, but there were no reports of casualties. Troops pursued the
attackers, but lost them when they scampered to civilian areas, said
Maj. Gen. Nehemias Pajarito, commander of the Army’s First
Infantry Division.
“The Simba was part of an Army
convoy heading to Iligan City from Marawi [City]. There were no
casualties,” he told The Manila Times. He said the vehicle’s
wheels were damaged from the attack.
The attack occurred ahead of the
Balikatan 2008 joint military training exercises in Lanao del Norte,
Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces in the Muslim autonomous
region. No group claimed responsibility for the ambush. The area is
a known stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),
which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.
Besides the MILF, the province is
also a lair of the communist New People’s Army rebels waging a
so-called people’s war across the Philippines.
“We are investigating the
motive of the attack and who were behind it. Gen. Nelson Allaga has
ordered more patrol in the province to prevent future attacks on
military vehicles,” said Army Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for
the Western Mindanao Command. Allaga is the regional military
commander.
The joint military exercises will
begin on February 18. US and Philippine troops involved in
Balikatan 2008 will also embark on humanitarian and development
projects in the four provinces of the autonomous region.
Balikatan, which means
“shoulder-to-shoulder,” is the codename of the joint anti-terror
drill held each year since 2001. It demonstrates US commitment
to train, advise and assist the Philippine military in building up
its capacity to counter terrorism.
The Balikatan includes support
for comprehensive defense reform; security assistance modules for
counter-terrorism training; operations intelligence fusion; and
aspects in education programs, logistics, and engineering,
equipment, and maintenance and helicopter programs.
It also aims to enhance the
skills and capabilities of Filipino and American forces in combating
terrorism and other internal and external security threats and
improve interoperability between RP and US forces through the
exchange of training skills and techniques.
The training is part of
Washington security assistance to the Philippines, a key US ally in
Southeast Asia in the so-called global war on terrorism.
--Al Jacinto
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