April 4, 2004
IN BRIEF / THE PHILIPPINES
U.S. Had Trained Troops to Defend Spratlys
From Times Wire Reports
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the U.S. military was training Philippine soldiers to defend the Spratly Islands against China until she asked them to shift to fighting the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group.
It was the first time a Philippine leader has acknowledged that China was a target of U.S.-Philippine military exercises. Officials have stressed in the past that such exercises were "not directed at any particular country, adversary or notional enemy."
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-briefs4.1apr04,1,56578.story?coll=la-headlines-worldFree registration required
(This was a tiny article. Only one very small paragraph not included here.)