The American ambassador to the Philippines makes sure the MILF, a jihadist group, doesn’t get nervous. “U.S. Assures Muslim Rebels on Philippine Exercises,” from Reuters (thanks to PRCS):
MANILA (Reuters) – The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines met the leader of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group on Tuesday in an effort to defuse tensions over U.S. soldiers entering Muslim areas in the south.
Earlier this week, thousands of people protested against the U.S. military’s plans to hold humanitarian missions in areas controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as part of annual training exercises with Philippine troops.
“The U.S. ambassador assured us the U.S. soldiers would not be involved in any combat activities,” Mohaqher Iqbal, head of the MILF peace panel with the government, told Reuters.