*EPF303 01/16/2002
Defense Department Report, January 16: Afghanistan, Philippines
(U.S. "leaning forward" to help Philippines fight terror) (450)

RUMSFELD DETAILS U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN PHILIPPINES

The presence of two U.S. hostages in the Philippines is causing the United States to be more forward-leaning in its effort to help the Philippine government combat terrorism, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says.

The United States currently has approximately 250 military personnel in the Philippines, and several hundred more are coming, Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing January 16. The U.S. troops are there for training purposes, logistics support and to participate in an ongoing exercise with Philippine troops, Rumsfeld said.

Furthermore, the fact that the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group is holding two American missionaries hostage disposes the United States to be "leaning forward" in its assistance to the Philippines government, he said.

"Certainly when there's a situation where American hostages are being held, that adds a dimension to our interest," Rumsfeld said. "[T]he short answer is, you bet your life we're leaning forward," he added.

DETAINEES BEING MOVED TO CUBA AND PAKISTAN, U.S. SAYS

Thirty more detainees from Afghanistan were on the way to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Rumsfeld said formal interrogation of the detainees at Guantanamo has not yet resumed, and that no decision has been made on their disposition.

Myers, at the same briefing with Rumsfeld, said the United States was also preparing to transfer approximately 90 Pakistani detainees to Pakistan. They are among the 403 detainees currently in U.S. custody in Afghanistan, Myers said.

SUSPICIOUS CANISTERS FOUND AT POSSIBLE WEAPONS LAB SITE

During investigation of the 50-plus facilities in Afghanistan where weapons of mass destruction could have been produced, some canisters were found whose external markings make them "appear to be weapons of mass destruction," Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld later indicated that the canisters look like chemical weapons containers.

"[U]ntil we get into them, look at them, analyze it, find out what it was, we're not going to know," Rumsfeld cautioned. "And as we do, obviously, we'll let folks know," he added.

ENEMY BUNKER DISCOVERED NEAR KANDAHAR AIRPORT

Rumsfeld confirmed that a bunker has been found "in reasonable proximity to the Kandahar airport, and they found some people tripping away from it, and they located the bunker and found some ammunition and weapons and things like that."

Myers said the Pentagon has received only an initial report about the finding, and so lacked many details. He noted that the discovery should not be considered a surprise, since "clearly many regions in Afghanistan are still very, very dangerous. Kandahar would ... have to be among them."

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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