By Christina Pfister

Guest Writer

``The new phase in the war on terror,'' as President Bush's administration calls it, continues. President Bush has sent American troops to the Philippines in search for more clues about Osama bin Laden. Both the United States and the Philippine governments are fighting the radical Islamic underground organization Abu Sayyaf, located in the southern Philippines. Though the group's connections to Al Qaeda appear to have ended in the late 1990's, Bush hopes that it will facilitate the search for Osama bin Laden.

The group is known for kidnapping foreigners and demanding high ransoms to buy back their freedom. Upon request of Philippino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Bush offered 100 million dollars of military aid and has now sent 660 American troops to the island of Basilan, Philippines, to support the Philippine army in eliminating Abu Sayyaf and rescue an American missionary couple currently held hostage by the group.

The Philippines, with its ongoing conflict between Muslims and Christians, is split into two opposing positions when it comes to American military involvement in their country, especially since the American military was just voted out of the country in 1991, after nearly a century of residency. Still, public opinion polls show that about 84 percent of the Philippine population supports the presence of the American troops.

The United States Department of State describes Abu Sayyef as ``the smallest and most radical of the Islamic separatist groups operating in the southern Philippines.'' It consists of about 200 core fighters and more than 2,000 individuals who volunteer on occasion. The group engages in bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and extortion to promote an independent Islamic state in Mindanao and some other areas in the southern Philippines heavily populated by Muslims.

On February 12 CNN reported that American troops would be armed but would only fire in self-defense. By the 13, of February the Terms of Reference were finally established and signed by Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Manila Times reports that the U.S. military was ``unhappy'' with certain provisions the Philippino government made. One in particular states that ``U.S. forces at all levels shall comply with the operational instructions of the AFP Unit Commander and in no instance shall they operate independently within Philippine territory.''