AFP furious over leaked Sayyaf spy photo

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A furious military ordered yesterday a formal inquiry into how the press got hold of a top-secret photo of an alleged hideout of Abu Sayyaf bandits.

"It might compromise our operations, "Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu told reporters.

The grainy, infrared photograph, taken from the air which appeared on the front page of The STAR Tuesday and on GMA television on Monday, showed what appeared to be a horizontal building and a patch of cleared ground surrounded by foliage.

The STAR said it was taken by a US P-3 Orion surveillance plane somewhere on Basilan, where 160 US Special Forces troops are providing advice to Filipino troops pursuing the Abu Sayyaf.

Cimatu refused to say who in the military leaked the classified photograph, saying, "We are investigating it."

Aside from manned aircraft, the US military revealed this week it would also employ unmanned aerial drones over Basilan.

"They are an additional tool for the training, but we cannot discuss details," US military spokeswoman Maj. Cynthia Teramae said.

Meanwhile, Army commander Lt. Gen. Jaime de la Cruz said Monday the Philippine-US Balikatan war games would not last more than six months.

"Personally, I don’t think we need the American troops for an extended term, regardless whether the Abu Sayyaf is still there or already eradicated," he said.

Speaking from Camp Melchor de la Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, De los Santos said he would rather see US troops packing their gear and getting out of Basilan and other parts of Western Mindanao when Balikatan ends after six months.

"Our soldiers are very skillful, only that we lack the necessary weapons," he said. "We need (the Americans) not necessarily for their skills but for their superior weapons."

De los Santos, who led United Nations peacekeeping troops in East Timor, said six months is more than enough for Filipino troops to "master" the sophisticated military equipment of the Americans.

"For me personally, I would rather end the war games after six months, but if the government so decides to have them extended, that is up to them," he said.

Any extension of the military exercise is a political decision that the government would have to make, De los Santos added. – AFP, Charlie Lagasca