Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines
Balikatan 2002-1
The government of the Philippines used the term Balikatan 02-1 to describe the counter-terrorism training effort in the southern Philippines.
The debate in 2002 over South-East Asia in Washington was between two schools of thought, the law-enforcement school (led by US Deputy Secretary of Defence and former Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Wolfowitz) and a school of thought favouring improved military ties (led by Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld). The idea of South East Asia becoming a ‘second front’ for the US war on terrorism may be based on superficial analysis and an ill-informed understanding of the dynamics of a complex region. Despite the arrest of alleged al Qaeda operatives in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines; the sending of 660 US troops to the Philippines; and the presence of radical Islamic groups in the region – notably the (Jemaah Islamiah (JI), Abu Sayyaf and the Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia (KMM) – the threat posed by radical Islam in South East Asia is exaggerated. A military-oriented approach would be misguided because, although Southeast Asia may represent a security threat, it is not a military threat. Terrorist groups such as JI and KMM do exist but so also do many broader movements such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Free Aceh movement along with Islamic paramilitaries such as Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and Laskar Jihad in Indonesia. Framing Southeast Asia as the military ‘second front’ is simplistic and flawed.
In the Philippines, US troops began military exercises with Philippine soldiers against Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who have been linked to the al-Qaida terrorist group. The joint military excercises began on 15 January 2002 and include 1,650 US troops including 150 special forces troops. The excercises were conducted with the Philippine armed forces in Zamboanga and Basilan Island, which are roughly 1000 km south of Manila. Most of the American troops trained at a base near the city of Zamboanga, across the water from Basilan. This phase of the joint campaign was to last six months.
The Phillippine Defense Secretary stated that the purpose of the operation is to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf and free a Philippine nurse and an American missionary couple [Martin and Gracia Burnham] taken hostage in May 2001. The Abu Sayyaf is also holding a Philippine nurse, Deborah Yap.
In addition to helping conduct operations against Abu Sayyaf, US troops are to help upgrade communications of the Philippine military in the south and to provide training on new, US supplied equipment that includes helicopters, weapons and night vision tools. The US government increased military assistance to the Philippines from $2 million in 2001 to $20 million in 2002.
The ongoing Balikatan 02-1 in Basilan was governed by Terms of Reference [TOR], in response to concerns that the US troops would engage in combat with Abu Sayyaf. This marked a departure from prior excercises in that the lethal rules of engagement are involved. US forces can advise, assist and train Philippine units, but they are not supposed to engage in direct combat. American soldiers in the Philippines can engage in combat in self-defense if they come under attack. The TOR governing the 660 US troops and 3,800 Filipino soldiers was put in place to allay fears that the Americans will engage in combat operations, considering that the exercise sites are near the combat zone areas in Basilan.
02-1 was conducted in three (3) phases. Phase 1 is the Preparation Phase when a series of planning conferences and exploratory talks will be held to determine priority areas of concern to train the two forces. Phase 2 is the Training and Field Exercise Phase covering about a 4-month period. Phase 3 is the Redeployment Phase wherein participating US and RP personnel are returned to their respective units.
As of late March 2002 there was a proposal for the deployment of 300 more US troops in Basilan, where there were already 660 US soldiers.
In late March 2002 it was revealed that a total of 2,665 US soldiers would take part in the RP-US Balikatan 02-2 exercise, beginning in April 2002. This statement by Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes was in contrast to the previous announcement by Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan that 1,700 US troops would be involved. Reyes also said that 10 more military exercises involving US troops would be held during 2002, though these would be smaller than Balikatan 02-1 and 02-2 and would be short [two-day to one-week] exercises. No TOR was required for Balikatan 02-2 because there was no threat of hostile action in Luzon.
On 06 June 2002 American missionary Martin Burnham was killed dead and his wife Gracia hospitalized after a rescue attempt by the Philippine military. Philippine nurse Edeborah Yap also died in the fighting in the southern Philippines. The Philippine soldiers continued to pursue the kidnappers. The Abu Sayyaf had kidnapped the Burnhams and 18 others on 27 May 2001 last year from an island resort. The Burnhams were celebrating their wedding anniversary at the time.
In mid-July 2002 US troops began packing up and loading their equipment onto a US Navy ship anchored off the southern Philippines, as the joint six-month anti-terror operation between the countries ended. The US participation in the operation officially ended on July 31. Both Manila and Washington said the six-month operation was a success, with the killing in June 2002 by Philippine troops of top Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya.
About 100 US soldiers would remain behind on Basilan to continue to advise the Philippine military on its war on terror.
