January 30, 2002	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 15, 1422

ZAMBOANGA (Philippines), Jan 29: A joint US-Philippines “anti-terrorist operation” is to begin on Thursday after the two countries resolved problems pertaining to the number of participating American military advisers, Filipino officials said.

The operation against the Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerillas in the southern Philippines is part of Washington’s plan to widen its “war on terror” into Southeast Asia.

The US and Filipino commanders of the operation struck a deal on the “number of participating US troops”, Brigadier General Emmanuel Teodosio told reporters after an emergency meeting here with a top US military official, Brigadier General Donald Wurster.

The meeting was held after officials said the operation, earlier scheduled to be formally launched on Wednesday, was postponed indefinitely due to what officials described as “procedural issues”.

After settling some “minor hitches”, the two sides agreed “that the training’s opening will be on Thursday morning”, Teodosio added.

Wurster flew into the southern city of Zamboanga from his Hawaii base for consultations after the Philippines deferred the scheduled opening of the “training” phase.

Teodosio would not say how many US troops would participate in the operation or why the dispute arose.

The Pentagon earlier said it would send about 600, including at least 160 Special Forces troops who would join Filipino troops in combat missions in nearby island strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf.—AFP