Aussies in Philippine anti-terror ops

SYDNEY, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A contingent of Australian commandos is engaged in operations against Islamist terrorist in the southern Philippines, The Weekend Australian reported Saturday.

The SAS (Special Air Service) team is believed to number about 20 men, who with Philippine forces use high-speed inflatable boats to capture Abu Sayyaf terrorists trying to travel between islands and between the southern Philippines and the east coast of Malaysia.

The newspaper quoted unidentified sources for their information.

It said also working jointly with Philippine troops were about 100 U.S. Special Forces soldiers.

The Philippine constitution bans foreign forces from engaging directly in combat operations. But the proscription is believed flexible enough to permit them to accompany Philippine troops in an advisory role as long as the final military action is performed by local forces.

The Philippines has been engaged in a concerted effort since summer to track down and destroy Abu Sayyaf, which is linked to al-Qaida and believed responsible for a number of bombings, kidnappings, beheadings and abductions.

The push has been concentrated on Jolo island in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, where the government is also battling Muslim separatists.

Said to be traveling with Abu Sayyaf are a number of terrorist from the Indonesian group Jemaah Islamiya, including two men directly connection with the 2002 bombings of tourist venues on the island of Bali that killed more than 200 people.

Philippine military authorities said foreign forces were in training and logistics roles.