More U.S. Soldiers In A Muslim Land

From Reuters: Anti-U.S. sentiment dwindles in southern Philippines

JOLO, Philippines (Reuters) - The warlike tribesmen of the southern Philippines have a long memory, especially when it comes to their enemies.

For over 100 years, the mostly Muslim Tausug tribe has sung ballads and recounted tales of forefathers being massacred by U.S. colonial soldiers on the remote island of Jolo, on the Sulu Sea roughly midway between the Philippine archipelago and Borneo.

Though they fought Spanish colonialists in previous centuries, Japanese troops during World War Two and the Philippine army after independence, the fiercely independent Tausugs have always reserved a special antipathy for Americans.

And when U.S. troops were posted again to Jolo four years ago to help the Philippines put down an insurgency by the Islamic radical Abu Sayyaf group, the wheel, it appeared, was turning circle.

The U.S. special forces on Jolo are barred from combat by the Philippine constitution and instead have poured their energies into training troops, providing intelligence on the Abu Sayyaf and conducting social projects like building roads and schools, providing Internet access and giving medical care.

Despite scores of Abu Sayyaf members being killed on Jolo, their bastion, in recent months, and a heavy Philippine military presence on the jungle-clad island of 600,000 people, the U.S. troops are coming in for rare praise.

"We have a good camaraderie with the United States," said Jainal Salip Aloy, a local mayor on Jolo.

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GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Still, U.S. soldiers travel heavily armed on Jolo, with armored cars mounted with machine guns accompanying jeeps and trucks. Soldiers are dressed in full battle gear, bullet-proof jackets and reinforced helmets.

But the motorcades are met with waves from bystanders and cheers and blown kisses from children. And the downturn in hit and run raids and kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf has resulted in a rare boom for the local economy.

The bazaars of Jolo town are full, a fast-food restaurant is doing good business and there are hundreds of more vehicles on the road, residents say.

Along a major road in the town, the walls are painted over with landscapes and portraits, a contest for local artists.

"We are doing very well," said Raida Jainal, a 45-year-old woman who owns a stall selling cold drinks and biscuits in the village of Bato-Bato, west of Jolo town. "We are happy with the U.S. projects, business is flourishing."

It is easy to loose sight of the folks not in Iraq. I would have said Iraq AND Afghanistan, but who would I be kidding? The only way the troops in Afghanistan will get mentioned is if they die. Otherwise it is as if they didn't exist and did nothing.

If that is true for the troops in Afghanistan it goes double for the troops in the Philippines. I would say less than 10% of the folks in the U.S. know we have special forces working there, and fewer still could tell you why.