When some of our good and knowledgeable
leaders say that America/Israel is trying to
separate us (divide and conqure) and come in
between - "fitneh" this is what they mean.
It also began in Palastine - PA v.s Hamas

By Eun-Kyung Kim
Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 7, 2002; 1:56 AM

WASHINGTON –– The United States is encouraging proxy wars on terrorism in the Philippines, Yemen and Somalia by quietly providing intelligence, training and artillery while the locals do most, if not all, of the fighting.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last week that the Bush administration is working with every nation in the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism and "encouraging them to take steps internally."

"Things have been happening in a variety of countries that have been very helpful," Rumsfeld told reporters. Nations will be encouraged to continue their support, "and I would suspect that most countries will be cooperative in trying to be helpful."

President Bush promised in the last days of 2001 that "next year will be a war year." However, he has suggested that the wars won't be as bold and obvious as the Afghanistan conflict. Instead, they will rely heavily on diplomatic and intelligence efforts.

In Somalia, for instance, the United States has been conducting reconnaissance flights to search for al-Qaida terrorist camps. It also is following the work of an alliance of Ethiopian-backed faction leaders who oppose Somali's transitional government. The group has called for an international force to destroy bases where alleged terrorists are operating.

A more visible proxy campaign has been in the Philippines, where the United States armed government troops with hundreds of sniper rifles, mortars, grenade launders and other weapons for use against Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group linked to the al-Qaida network headed by Osama bin Laden.

Philippine neighbor Indonesia is another American surrogate, soon to take part in a U.S.-sponsored counterterrorism training program. Despite Indonesia's rocky political history because of bloodshed in East Timor, the United States is helping the Moslem country with hopes of preventing Southeast Asian nations from turning into a major al-Qaida hub.

A more covert battle looms in Yemen, whose president met privately last November with Bush. At the time, U.S. aides discussed a multimillion-dollar aid package for the Arab nation; weeks later, U.S.-trained and quipped Yemeni forces attacked a tribal group believed to be harboring al-Qaida operatives.

Engaging in proxy wars means fewer American casualties and the ability for the United States to avoid a visible link to nations with less than stellar reputations.

"You want them to do as much of the heavy lifting as you can get them to do," said Robert Pfaltzgraff, a military specialist at Tufts University.

The host countries usually welcome the U.S. involvement because a boost in economic and humanitarian aid often accompany it. The northern alliance in Afghanistan, for example, abided by U.S. efforts "not out of any love of the United States, but because they needed outside support," Pfaltzgraff said.

"The northern alliance needed weapons, it needed air support, and once it got the capabilities, they were able to overrun the Taliban," he said.

The same went for Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the Afghanistan battle. One of the few nations that formally recognized – and sometimes aided – the Taliban government, Pakistan did an about-face after the Sept. 11 attacks. It allowed American forces to use its airspace during the bombing campaign and is pursuing Taliban members who have fled Afghanistan.

Influencing the attitude change was more than $50 million in U.S. aid and the lifting of economic sanctions because of nuclear tests that Pakistan has conducted in the past.

While the United States may have intelligence agents scoping potential terrorism operations in other nations, Gen. Tommy Franks, the U.S. war commander, said American forces have yet to put any "boots on the ground" outside Afghanistan.

"We have a great many activities going on in several countries in the region, but we're not involved in this kinetic activity, such as we've been involved in in Afghanistan," he said Friday.

Rumsfeld has said repeatedly that the multinational coalition would feature an ever-changing cast of players, with each nation dealt with individually.

"The Bush administration can't attempt the same approach to 60 different countries, which range from ones that are sometimes hostile to some of our closest allies," said Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"We don't have 'a' coalition," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke told foreign reporters. "What we have is evolving, changing coalitions, which change over time as circumstances and demands and needs require."