A Member of the Philippine Scout Ranger patrol the streets of Southern Philippines with an "American Advisor." They used to be trained by the SRMTT (Scout Ranger Mobile Training Team) but now the U.S. Advisors are involved in the inteligence and training. The Philippines is still considered a hotbed of the war against "World Terrorism." Come to think of it, "Project Bojinka", the 1993 plan to bomb U.S. bound airplanes was first uncovered in the Philippines. The term can refer to the "airline bombing plot" alone, or that combined with the "Pope assassination plot" and the "CIA plane crash plot". The first refers to a plot to destroy 11 airliners on January 21 and January 22, 1995, the second refers to a plan to kill Pope John Paul II on January 15, 1995, and the third refers to a plan to crash a plane into the CIA headquarters in Langley, Fairfax County, Virginia and other buildings. The Bojinka plot was prevented on January 6 and January 7, 1995, but some lessons learned were apparently used by the planners of the September 11 attacks.
It was discovered back then that chemicals, such as gallons of sulfuric, picric, and nitric acid, pure glycerin, acetone, sodium trichlorate, nitrobenzoyl, ammonia, silver nitrates, methanamine, and ANFO were found. Several cans of gasoline and two large Welch's grape juice bottles containing nitroglycerin were being used to mix a bomb onboard a plane. Now, ever wonder why you cannot bring your toothpaste, cologne and shampoo onboard your flight?
The money handed down to the plotters originated from Al-Qaeda, an international Islamic militant organization which was then based in Sudan. Philippine authorities say that Oplan Bojinka was developed by Ramzi Yousef (the now incarcerated terror suspect in the first attack at the World Trade Center using a bomb loaded van) and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed while they were in Manila, Philippines in 1994 and early 1995.
Post 9-11, the partnership continues between Philippine troops and U.S. Advisors. Official word from U.S. Department of Defense is that the U.S. Troops are not and should not engaged in combat. The war is not over yet, but July 4th is one day that we stop and salute those that keep Freedom and Independence alive. Happy Fourth to all and... easy on that beer.....Stay safe. Remember, Freedom & Independence is not guaranteed. It is kept alive with blood, sweat & tears....to secure the "Land of the Free" as well as "The Home of the Brave."
(Jay Fermin ppp-usa)