U.S. Forces Provide More Than Military Muscle In Philippines

ISABELA, Philippines – You learned to live with the fear, said Sonia Acuna. If you were Christian and couldn't afford to leave Basilan Island, you had no choice.

You left your house each morning on edge, wondering whether this would be your day to be kidnapped or beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf, the brutal band of Muslim rebels that has terrorized this island for a decade, Ms. Acuna said.

Lately, however, Basilan residents such as Ms. Acuna – Christian and Muslim alike – say they feel as though they've been rescued from the clutches of a monster.

Since U.S. Army special forces commandos arrived on the island in mid-February, opening a second front in the U.S.-led war on terrorism, there hasn't been a single kidnapping or beheading on Basilan.

People who fled their homes in fear have begun to return. Shops that were boarded up are reopening.

"We're very grateful to have you Americans here," Ms. Acuna said. "It gives us courage to fight back. We were so demoralized, and now we feel safe."

The presence of 160 U.S. special forces members on this rugged island has given new life to Basilan's beleaguered people, many residents say. About 300,000 people live on Basilan, and 60 percent are Muslim.

"We find the Americans to be nice," said Masud Agta, 27, a village official and Abu Sayyaf member until he surrendered to Philippine soldiers in March. "They've initiated good projects. We want the Americans to be here because they are bringing Basilan development."

The special forces – backed by 280 U.S. military engineers and about 500 support personnel based in the nearby port city of Zamboanga – have quickly made their mark on Basilan. In addition to training Philippine soldiers, they've conducted free health clinics, built roads and bridges and even taught rural children how to brush their teeth.

"We've done a lot of things to win the hearts and minds of people here," Sgt. Maj. Vic Allen said. "I feel like a rock star when I walk down the road. Everybody waves and comes out and says hello."

The stated aim of the U.S. mission is to "train, advise and assist the armed forces of the Philippines in combating terrorism in the southern Philippines," said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Gordon, a spokesman for U.S. military operations here.

The strategic goal is to deny local Muslim militants and operatives of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda group a haven in Southeast Asia, U.S. and Philippine officials say.

"The United States has a vested interest in making sure there are no safe havens for terrorists anywhere in the world, whether it's the deserts of Afghanistan, the mountains of Chechnya or the jungles of Basilan," Lt. Cmdr. Gordon said.

On the military front, the advice and technology the U.S. forces have provided to the Philippine military's eight combat battalions on Basilan have helped cripple Abu Sayyaf capabilities. Boasting perhaps 1,000 fighters a year ago, the Abu Sayyaf now is believed to have 50 to 60 men roaming the jungles of Basilan, Philippine and U.S. military officers here say.

"They've broken into smaller groups and spread out," said Maj. Larry Redmon, one of the U.S. commandos on Basilan, which is about 20 miles by 30 miles in size. "They know we're after them."

Abu Sayyaf fighters in the field – including a band holding American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kan. – are "no longer initiating operations," said Lt. Col. Renato Padua, commander of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion based in the village of Cabunbata. "That tells us they are on the run."

Increased Philippine navy patrols and U.S. aerial surveillance have restricted the rebels' ability to come and go freely by sea. Philippine ground forces have further constrained Abu Sayyaf movements by setting up four jungle bases in the wild interior of Basilan.

Nine U.S. special forces "A-teams" – including one code-named Dallas – have fanned out across the island to advise and train Philippine troops. The teams, each made up of about 12 commandos, are part of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Special Forces Group.

The special forces aren't supposed to initiate armed contact. But the U.S. commandos have tried to draw out the Abu Sayyaf by venturing into their strongholds to meet with local officials and even relatives of the rebels.

"We're trying to go into [Abu Sayyaf] areas as much as possible to give people a sense of security," said Maj. Redmon, 41, an Indiana native who joined the army at 17.

In one such visit, U.S. commandos recently stopped to chat with a shop owner who had sold a bag of rice to the Abu Sayyaf a few days earlier. As they were leaving, the U.S. commandos handed a $1 bill to the shop owner as a calling card, then offered a parting shot for Abu Sabaya and other rebel leaders: "We said, 'The next time Abu Sabaya comes around, tell him we're looking for him,' " Maj. Redmon said, grinning defiantly.

The U.S. forces have matched their military muscle-flexing with community assistance projects and high-profile interaction with the local population. Lt. Col. David Maxwell, commander of U.S. special forces on Basilan, recently delivered the high school commencement address in the town of Lamitan, where the Abu Sayyaf looted the hospital last year.

A centerpiece of the U.S. effort on Basilan is an ongoing program to improve roads and build bridges, water wells and other badly needed infrastructure.

Early one recent Saturday, Basilan Gov. Wahad Akbar met a U.S. landing craft carrying heavy construction equipment from the USS Germantown anchored offshore. Watching the bulldozers, road graders and other massive machines rumble onto a stone quay built by special forces, the governor declared the day a milestone for Basilan.

"This heavy equipment means a lot for the province," Mr. Akbar said. "It means infrastructure development, economic development, an improvement to the peace and order situation and improved access to education."

The governor, a Muslim, and Isabela Mayor Luis Rubio Biel, a Christian, have asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to extend the stay of the U.S. troops on Basilan.

The U.S. soldiers, however, say their work will be wasted if the Philippine government doesn't address the causes of Muslim militancy in the southern Philippines.

Many young Muslim men have joined Abu Sayyaf and other militant separatist groups because of poverty, despair and feelings of alienation from the Christian-dominated government, Filipino and foreign experts say.

"It's not religious-based," Lt. Col. Maxwell said. "It's power, money, there's nothing better to do. I equate a lot of the rank and file [Abu Sayyaf] more to gang members."

An estimated 30 percent of the local population – perhaps more – is unemployed or underemployed, local officials say. There is no Internet access on Basilan. Many villages don't have electricity, and even the largest towns have power only sporadically.

"There are two problems here: the government and poverty," said Ismael Tagadaya, a Muslim, explaining the roots of discontent among the Muslim minority. "If you're poor, you're really poor. That's why there is so much unrest here, because of the poverty."

"They just victimize people," Mr. Tagadaya said, who adds that he is 102 and produces a government identification card to prove it. "There's nothing you can get from them but trouble."

Ibrahim Manatad, 60, the father-in-law of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani, says there were legitimate reasons why so many local men became rebels, bandits, kidnappers and killers.

"Nobody can say that what they are doing is good," he said of the Abu Sayyaf. "But in the beginning they were asking for certain things from the government, like boats for fishing. The boats people had here were just the very small ones, and there were people coming from ... [Christian areas] in bigger boats, and of course our business was destroyed."

Eventually, "because nobody would respond to their demands, they were forced into rebellion," Mr. Manatad said.

Taking out their frustrations on Christian society has proved to be profitable for the Abu Sayyaf – the rebels have ransomed a number of foreign hostages for several million dollars. But the group's reign of terror has devastated the Basilan economy.

"Even big businesses transferred to other places," said Mr. Biel, whose 3-year-old son and father were held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf for 93 days in the early 1990s. They were released after the mayor paid more than 5 million pesos in ransom – about $160,000 at the time.

U.S. companies used to have rubber plantations, logging operations and furniture factories on the island. Even before the Abu Sayyaf emerged in the early 1990s as a radical offshoot of a more established Muslim separatist group – the Moro National Liberation Front – the worsening sectarian violence had forced most foreign investors to abandon Basilan, Mr. Biel said.

Now, thanks to the U.S. soldiers, "You can see the confidence and morale of the people coming up," Mr. Biel said. "Even business is picking up. People are feeling safer. It's very peaceful now, but very volatile. You never know when the volcano will erupt."

U.S. commandos agree that progress has been made, but they share the mayor's wariness.

"This is not something we can fix in four or five months," Maj. Redmon said. "We've got to convince people not to support these guys. There's still a lot of work to be done, but at least we've knocked ... [the Abu Sayyaf] off-balance."

"It's not religious-based," Lt. Col. Maxwell said "It's power, money, there's nothing better to do. I equate a lot of the rank and file [Abu Sayyaf] more to gang members."

If Islam wasn't prevalent, this would be nothing more than a local police matter.

Seems to be a common theme with Islam

60 percent are Muslim

Hardly a minority

God Bless our SF guys, but if they really believe that Islam is not at the root of the problem, then they can plan on being engaged there indefinitely.

A rather disquieting thought occurred to me (and has probably occurred to the islanders as well):

The minute the Burnhams are found, the US soldiers will leave, taking their dollars, their construction equipment, and the islanders' new-found security with them.

With this in mind, what islander would turn the rebels in?

The minute the Burnhams are found, the US soldiers will leave, taking their dollars, their construction equipment, and the islanders' new-found security with them.

I pray daily that the Burnhams will be found and sent safely sent home to their family.

In this war on terrorism it is my hope the Philipine people won't be abandoned.

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