US soldiers off to Sulu for assessment mission

By Ronron
April 30, 2005

A 25-man US military contingent is off to Sulu province in the next 24 hours for an assessment mission that will seek to determine areas where US humanitarian assistance is most needed.

Lt. Col. Greg Wilson, Commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) under the US Pacific Command, said in a phone interview Saturday that the mission is expected to last for two weeks in the towns of Panamao, Jolo, and Patikul.

"We will be going to Sulu for a civic monitoring operation assessment at the invitation of the Philippine government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and in partner with our Philippine counterparts," Wilson said.

The team is expected to interact directly with local officials from the provincial government up to the barangay level, and even residents, to determine the needs of the people in those conflict-affected places.

"This is strictly a humanitarian activity. We want to find out in which areas can we help the people there, like in the medical aspect and small-scale engineering projects," Wilson said.

He added that as a standard operating procedure, his troops will be carrying their own weapons for forced protection. And should the need to defend their selves from rebels arise, they can always use their firearm.

The team will take off from the AFP Southern Command in Zamboanga City./DMS