AP: Group: U.S. GIs fighting in Philippines

[AnOhioan]

MANILA, Philippines -

U.S. troops, in possible violation of the Philippines' constitution, have taken part in combat operations against guerrillas linked to al-Qaida, an activist group said in a report Monday.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop disputed the allegation.

"Visiting U.S. troops in the Philippines advise, assist, share information with their Philippine counterparts, but they do not engage in combat and they have no direct role in combat operations. Any combat operations are 100 percent Filipino," he told The Associated Press.

The group Focus on the Global South, citing a number of U.S. military writings, doctrines and eyewitness accounts to back its claim, said an independent investigation should be conducted to determine whether the alleged combat operations violated the Philippine constitution.


More at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070115/ap_on_re_as/philippines

[BushOut06]

1. Bush doesn't respect the US constitution, why should he respect anyone else's?

If the public knew just how many countries our military was secretly operating in, they'd be shocked and pissed.

[indepat]

2. This cabal doesn't give a fu*k about the US Constitution so why would anyone think they would give

a f*ck about the Philippines' constitution?

[acmavm]

3. 'Visiting' US troops? What do they do, take a little break from

their vacation and drop in a plan an attack?

[hack89]

4. "Zionist expansion is also part of this desire to subjugate the whole planet"

from their web site.

[eagler]

12. You lost me here.

nt

[hack89]

19. Focus on the Global South's web site ...

they seem to be a group with a bias

[eagler]

24. Still don't see it but talk like that is nothing more than

anti-semitic rant.

[LynnTheDem]

5. Group; US Troops Fighting in Phillipines

US troops, in a possible violation of the Phillipine's Constitution have taken part in combat operations against guerrillas linked to al Qaeda, an activist group said in a report Monday.

US Embassy spokesman Mathew Lussenhop disupted the allegation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/15/AR2007011500236.html

[sam sarrha]

6. since when has a constitution got in the way of this administration

[Slothrope]

7. No violation here

Abu Sayyaf regularly fires on US Marines and even killed one in 2003. Our troops ARE allowed to defend themselves. Abu Sayyaf is particularly murderous, brutal al Qaeda offshoot. I won't cry if any of our troops rid the world of this human garbage.

[The Stranger]

8. Cry if you want -- but what we are concerned about is the rule of law.

If the President is running around the globe attacking nations against the will of his own people, only with whose consent he may govern, he needs to be removed from office immediately.

[LynnTheDem]

9. Actually it would in fact be a violation.

Garbage riddance begins at home.

[Mandate My Ass]

10. Ah, a long-standing member of free republic weighs in

Welcome to DU. I hope you learn something here. :hi:

[Judi Lynn]

17. Learn something here? Or anywhere? Don't count on it!

Looks like that's not in the realm of possibility! It would require retraining.

[eagler]

11. double

nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Did you read the article?

The claim is they are a special forces unit on a mission - that is is direct violation of the constitution.

Did you maybe start to research by googling MILF?

[daleo]

13. The U.S. had "advisers" in Viet Nam for years (early '60s)

They weren't supposed to be fighting either, but it turned out they were.

The Bush government is totally out of control.

[oblivious]

15. Related: "Reds blame military for bombings in 3 Mindanao cities"

Reds blame military for bombings in 3 Mindanao cities
Sunday, 14 January 2007 11 21 54

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/13 January) – The National Democratic Front in Southern Mindanao accused the military of masterminding the bombings Wednesday in three cities in Region-12 in order to push Oplan Bantay Laya, the government’s latest plan to defeat the communist-led rebellion.

In a press statement, the NDF-Southern Mindanao said the bombing incidents that rocked the region last January 10 were orchestrated “to justify the passage of an anti-terrorism bill and a counterpart pact by the ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members (who are holding a summit) in Cebu.”

...Failing to convince its own citizens, the US is driven to push nations like the Philippines and the ASEAN to orchestrate state terrorism, justify the war on terror, and adopt measures to stifle the opposition and civil liberties in the guise of anti-terrorism, " he stressed.

The NDF echoed claims by rebel military officers that the previous bombings in Mindanao were orchestrated by former defense secretary Angelo Reyes with President Arroyo's prior knowledge.

http://mindanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1588&Itemid=50


Sunday, January 14, 2007
Rebel group suspects gov't behind bombings

THE National Democratic Front (NDF) suspects that the Mindanao bombings last Wednesday could be the handiwork of the "war dogs of the Arroyo regime" in an effort to justify the passing of the controversial anti-terrorism bill.

NDF spokesman Rubi del Mundo said, "The Arroyo regime stood to gain with the recent attacks as these will justify the passage of an anti-terrorism bill and a counterpart pact by the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members in Cebu."

Del Mundo said the Arroyo administration is doing this upon the order of the US government under President George W. Bush "to justify its continued war for oil occupation in Iraq."

"Failing to convince its own citizens, the imperialist US is driven to push nations like the Philippines and the Asean to orchestrate state terrorism, justify the war on terror, and adopt measures to stifle the opposition and civil liberties in the guise of anti-terrorism," del Mundo said.

The rebel spokesman said this is the same plot Arroyo has done before in connivance with then Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes as attested by no less than the military officers who revolted.

"Previous bombings in Mindanao were already been exposed by the rebel military officers as having been orchestrated by former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes with Mrs. Arroyo's prior knowledge," del Mundo said.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2007/01/14/news/rebel.group.suspects.gov.t.behind.bombings.html

[IndianaGreen]

16. Another military defeat in the offing, and another US-backed tyrant on the ropes

Philippines President Arroyo is authoritarian and her regime represents the axis of evil of that country: the wealthy, the army, and the Catholic Church.

Our small number of troops will not defeat either the Moros Islamic separatist or tne New People's Army Marxist guerrillas. The US is hard pressed just to defeat the gangsters known as the Abu Sayyaf group, which is the primary target of the US.

Since American troops don't know the difference between Sunni and Shia in Iraq, they can't be expected to tell the difference between Abu Sayyaf, Moros, or NPA.

It is a cosmic event to have US troops return to the same Philippines where the term "gook" was first coined by US Marines.

[moroni]

18. Gook

This is a Korean term. This "slang" term originated during the Korean War. American GI's, at the time, misunderstood the word "mi-gook" which is the term used for Americans or "beautiful people". Simple cultural and language ignorance. I am sure the soldiers of the Korean War were not allotted the time and energy required to learn language and culture. Staying alive was significantly more important I am sure.

blessings & ahn-yo,
moroni

[IndianaGreen]

20. No, the term "gook" was coined during the Philippines Rebellion

by US Marines as they slaughtered the Filipinos fighting for independence.

Do some research on it.

[Judi Lynn]

23. Harming, mutilating,murdering these citizens almost for sport goes back a long time.

Remembering Colonel Edward Landsdale, who was also used for psy-ops against Cubans in the '60's, here's a look at his deadly touch while assigned to covert psy-ops work in the Philippines:

A Lansdale discussion of psy-war tactics outlined in a two-volume U.S. Army psy-war manual published in 1976 (Army Pamphlet 525-71) focuses on this conflation of terrorism with humor and makes one wonder whether the long-term damage of the terror approach has been seriously considered. The examples given also reflect a deeply condescending assumption of the target populations' simple-mindedness:

When I introduced the practical-joke aspect of psywar to the Philippine Army, it stimulated some imaginative operations that were remarkably effective.... One psywar operation played upon the popular dread of an asuang, or vampire.... When a Huk patrol came along the trail, the ambushers silently snatched the last man of the patrol.... They punctured his neck with two holes, vampire-fashion, held the body up by the heels, drained it of blood, and put the corpse back on the trail. When the Huks returned to look for the missing man and found their bloodless comrade, every member of the patrol believed that the asuang had got him and that one of them would be next.... When daylight came, the whole Huk squadron moved out of the vicinity.82

As far as Colonel Lansdale was concerned, the importance of the story was to provide an example "of tactical psywar in counter-guerrilla actions . . . to indicate that psywar need not consist of putting out leaflets or using amplified sound."83 Bohannan and Valeriano concur on the efficacy of certain terror weapons, and the mutilation of bodies: "Few weapons have quite the same effect on guerrilla morale as a pair of ice picks lashed together, used to puncture a guerrilla jugular, if the guerrilla is left for his companions to pick up. Next in effectiveness is a well- presented bayonet."84

Another Lansdale example of tactical psy-war in the Philippines was perhaps even more bizarre than the vampire operation, and was devised to terrify—and to clear the area of—an entire community. As in the previous example, there is no consideration of possible long-term negative repercussions. The operation was also seen as an unqualified success, suggesting a rather unbelievable naivete on the part of either the entire rural population of the Philippines (or Colonel Lansdale himself):

The army unit captured a Huk courier descending from the mountain stronghold to the village. After questioning, the courier, who was a native of the village, woefully confessed his errors in helping the Huks. His testimony was tape-recorded and made to sound as if his voice emanated from a tomb. The courier was killed. His body was left on the Huk-village line of communications. Soldiers in civilian clothes then dropped rumors in the village to the effect that the Huks had killed the courier. The villagers recovered the body and buried the Huk. That night army patrols infiltrated the cemetery and set up audio-equipment which began broadcasting the dead Huk's confession. By dawn, the entire village of terror-stricken peasantry had evacuated! In a few days, the Huks were forced to descend the mountain in search of food. They were quickly captured and/or killed by the army unit.85
(snip)

http://www.statecraft.org/chapter4.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The many sadistic faces of Col. Edward Lansdale

[bleedingheart]

21. At first you read the headline and think...boy don't they know WWII ended?

...this ala those stories that would appear even in the 1970's about some poor japanese soldier who still thought the war was raging...

and then you realize ...no this is today...

[oblivious]

22. That made me laugh.