The death of Sabaya, and the scheduled end of Balikitan 02-1 joint exercises, would appear to deny the United States much of its justification for remaining in the Philippines. But Washington is still interested in expanding military relations with Manila, and there are signs that the U.S. military is preparing for a longer-term presence in its former colony.
Sabaya's killing follows Washington's decision to expand the role of its training forces on Basilan. Previously, U.S. trainers and advisers were restricted in their interactions with their Filipino counterparts, having permission only to train large groups of soldiers numbering in the hundreds. Under new guidelines, U.S. forces could train much smaller groups of soldiers and accompany them on patrols in Basilan, where they are hunting the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf.
The expanded role for the U.S. military has been a source of contention inside the Department of Defense, most notably in the conflicting opinions of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz. Wolfowitz has been a strong supporter of greater U.S. military involvement in the Philippines -- and in the rest of Southeast Asia for that matter.
Rumsfeld, however, apparently questioned the necessity of the large-scale U.S. military presence, which began in January, and seems more cautious of being inadvertently drawn into a larger conflict in the Philippines - perhaps between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a rebel group operating on the island of Mindanao.
Sabaya's killing follows Washington's decision to expand the role of its training forces on Basilan. Previously, U.S. trainers and advisers were restricted in their interactions with their Filipino counterparts, having permission only to train large groups of soldiers numbering in the hundreds. Under new guidelines, U.S. forces could train much smaller groups of soldiers and accompany them on patrols in Basilan, where they are hunting the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf.
The expanded role for the U.S. military has been a source of contention inside the Department of Defense, most notably in the conflicting opinions of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz. Wolfowitz has been a strong supporter of greater U.S. military involvement in the Philippines -- and in the rest of Southeast Asia for that matter.
Rumsfeld, however, apparently questioned the necessity of the large-scale U.S. military presence, which began in January, and seems more cautious of being inadvertently drawn into a larger conflict in the Philippines - perhaps between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a rebel group operating on the island of Mindanao.