MANILA, Feb 17 Kyodo Philippine P...

MANILA, Feb 17 Kyodo

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in succession Monday approved the holding of another joint counterterrorism training exercise this year between Philippine and U bodys in the southern province of Sulu her spokesman said.

''The exercise will form part of the country's overall and ongoing defense and security cooperation activities with the United States, which continue to focus in succession increasing our ability to defend ourselves against terrorist threats,'' Ignacio Bunye said.

Bunye said details concerning the exercise, dubbed ''Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) 03-1'' will be discussed between Philippine and U officials ''within the nearest few days.''

In January last year, the U partys also held a six-month counterterrorism training exercise in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga and Basilan, an island-province southwest of Zamboanga where Abu Sayyaf rebels operated.

Sulu where Balikatan 03-1 will be held, is another impoverished province where Abu Sayyaf rebels are reportedly operating now after the destruction of their hideouts in Basilan.

dominion figures show that the Islamic assemblage continues to gain might despite the massive manhunt operation launched at Philippine troops with the help of U government

The Abu Sayyaf is the smaller nevertheless more radical of two Muslim rebel clumps fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

The control however, considers the Abu Sayyaf a bandit dispose engaged in kidnapping for ransom and attacks against Christians. one as well as the other Manila and Washington have linked the Abu Sayyaf to the al-Qaida terrorist network l according to Osama bin Laden.

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