Military

A U.S. military official said they are waiting for approval from the Armed Forces of
the Philippines and completion of the training plan.

Stage 1 of the joint exercises aimed at helping the Philippine military defeat the Abu
Sayyaf involves a familiarization process, in which troops from each side build
relationships and trust.

"In the next phase, they put together the training modules and bring things down
from the battalion level to the company level," said Air Force Maj. David Mobley of
Special Operations Command, Pacific.

"That is when the operators will be accompanying their Philippine counterparts on
patrols and train them on things like night flight capability and maritime
capability."

According to a senior Philippine military officer here, the next phase of the training
mission probably will start at the end of March.

While Philippine troops continue to come under fire every day, they are not ready to
proceed with the training.

Both sides said the crash of an MH-47 Chinook helicopter last week did not affect the
exercise's timeline.

The helicopter went down just after delivering the last load of 160 U.S. special
operations troops to the island, where Abu Sayyaf rebels hold two Americans and one
Philippine hostage.

"I guess the only fortunate thing was that the timing of the accident was such
that we had just completed the forward positioning all our forces," Mobley said.

While the timeline for the exercise, known as Balikatan 02-1 locally, has been set at
six months, that can be adjusted depending on the Filipinos' desires, officials said.

"The end goal of all of this is to help the Philippine operation become
self-sufficient and self-sustaining," Mobley said. "Our goal is to train, advise
and assist. Right now they are still working on creating the bond of friendship."

The U.S. troops have moved in with their Philippine counterparts in Basilan, where the
conditions are described as "primitive." There is no running water, and the
troops sleep in hammocks draped with mosquito nets. While drinking water is ferried in by
U.S. helicopters and boats, the troops eat what the local forces eat, military officials
say.

Meanwhile, the lull in the exercise gave way to recent Philippine media reports that an
Abu Sayyaf surrender or hostage release was imminent.

Most of that speculation was caused by the arrival of two U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave
Hawks helicopters last week from Kadena Air Base. U.S. officials say the Pave Hawks are an
interim unit providing night search and rescue and air ambulance capability until the
downed Chinook can be replaced.

The investigation into the accident that claimed 10 U.S. lives is ongoing, with
officials saying on Friday there were no significant developments.