Philippines Gets U.S. Military Aid

The U.S. Army on Thursday gave hundreds of weapons, including sniper rifles, mortars and grenade launchers, to the Philippine military for use against a Muslim extremist group linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

The arms are part of a military assistance package promised by President Bush when Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visited Washington last month.

“Our troops need this very badly,” Philippine army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta Jr. said.

Mabanta said the arms are meant to “reciprocate” Arroyo’s condemnation of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and “our government’s role in leading the war against terrorism in Southeast Asia.”

The Philippine government is fighting the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, which is holding American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan., and a Filipino nurse hostage on southern Basilan island. The group is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations and has been linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network.

Most of the weapons will be used against Abu Sayyaf, army chief Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos said.

At the hand-over at Philippine army headquarters, U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affairs John Caulfield said the arms and equipment were only a small part of the military aid package.

“Our nations have stood together in the past and we stand together in the new millennium,” Caulfield said. “We are now in an era of cooperation in the global war against terrorism.”

A C-130 transport plane, also part of the U.S. aid package, arrived last month along with 16,000 pounds of military hardware. The Philippine military had only one operational C-130 aircraft, which was used to transport troops and for disaster relief.

Philippine defense officials said U.S. military hardware to come includes a Cyclone-class patrol boat, 100 army trucks and about eight Huey helicopters, as well as funds to upgrade the poorly equipped army.

Along with the hardware, U.S. forces will train a local special forces unit in Zamboanga city.