Someone needs to weigh in here and explain that the areas being used for these camps are not under control of the government of the Phillipines.

Rather the same situation with the al Qaeda connection to Ansar al-Islam, in an area of Iraq not under control of Baghdad up in the Kurdish Autonomous Zone.

Just so the point doesn't somehow get missed, and we end up taking out the Phillipine government.

Thank you for pointing that out, Don.

The Philippine government continues the cat-and-mouse game against the Islamic secessionists in the treacherous jungles of Mindanao provinces. In the past, alleged terrorist training camps were captured by the military, and the efforts to go after the rebels continue, including foreign terrorists (Al Qaeda-affiliated or not) they harbor within their fold.

Now that the government rejected the Islamists' call for a truce, the people are now expecting major victories against the rebels. Hopes were also brought high by the promised military and development aid from the U.S.

I want to see how Bush's labeling of the Philippines as a "major non-NATO ally" play out in my country's war against terrorism.

But Willie;

I thought that your government did not want US help in erradicating the 'rebels'. Maybe if you want us back then we can leave off the tailings scraped off Subic Bay.

From what I understand, there has never been government control of the western islands. It would be hard to govern anyway, if you looked at somebodies pig cross-eyed!

Let the aid and the military hardware come in, no problem in that. However, due to "constitutional restrictions", the government will be in trouble if they allowed U.S. troops to directly engage the rebels down South.

On a personal level, I'd like the American soldiers help the local armed forces hunt down the Moro Islamists.