US officer: Abus very good at hiding Vagni
by Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga | 06/18/2009 8:03 PM
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ZAMBOANGA CITY - An official of the US forces assigned to Mindanao has admitted difficulty locating Eugenio Vagni, the Red Cross worker still being held captive in the jungles of Sulu.
Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) Commander Col. William Coultrup, in a meeting on Thursday with some members of the press, said the Abu Sayyaf is "doing a great job in maintaining the security around him [Vagni]."
However, Coultrup clarified that their assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is "very limited to intelligence sharing, trainings, communication."
He reiterated that US forces are strictly observing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and "our counterpart in the AFP also sees to it we do not violate the Constitution."
Coultrup also disclosed that there are foreign terrorists in Sulu. "Our number one goal is to prevent foreign terrorists from having a safe haven in Sulu or in any part of Mindanao."
One way to achieve this, Coultrup said, is through the various humanitarian and engineering projects JSOTF-P is undertaking on the island of Mindanao.
On Thursday morning, Coultrup graced the inauguration of a Birthing Clinic in Zamboanga City Medical Center, only the second of its kind in Mindanao.
The clinic aims to give a holistic maternal health care package to lower the maternal and infant mortality rate.
"We try to show that there are people out there who want to provide them with a better life," Coultrup said.
The over $350,000 worth of projects is a joint undertaking of the JSOTF-P, AFP-Western Mindanao Command, Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) and MEIN College.
This month, JSOTF-P is also expected to inaugurate several engineering projects in Indanan, Sulu, the site of recent skirmishes between government forces and the kidnappers of the Italian humanitarian worker.
Coultrup said, "We try to stay as far away from any area of operation, at least away from single arm's range," Coultrup said.
Around 90 to 100 US soldiers are said to be in Sulu at any given time.
Coultrup said most of their men are involved in Civil Military Operations or CMO projects.
The US military official said they aim to continue with the projects lined up for Sulu, since "security issues improve where projects are delivered."
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