A group of Filipino children follow a group of American soldiers during a town celebration on Basilan island in southern Philippines in this March 2002 file photo. American troops who would take the global war on terror in the nearby island of Jolo agains
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government will not permit U.S. forces to join Filipino troops in combat against Muslim extremists, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman said Sunday.
The planned training exercise this year on violent southern Jolo island prompted controversy after Washington said American troops would be allowed to fight the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf despite a Philippine ban on foreign troops participating in local combat.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes left Sunday for Washington to discuss the terms of the training exercise with U.S. defense officials, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.
Asked during a radio interview what the government would do if U.S. officials request a combat role on Jolo, Bunye said the Philippine government will turn it down.
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