MC-130

U.S. Defense officials say a U.S. Air Force special operations plane has been hit by gunfire during a military exercise over the island of Luzon, in the northern Philippines.

Officials say no one aboard the aircraft was injured. The origin of the gunfire has not been determined. But some Filipinos have protested the presence of 600 U.S. Special Forces soldiers in their country.

The officials say he incident occurred during a low-level flying mission over Luzon. Two bullet holes were discovered after the plane returned to its base in Manila, the capital.

The soldiers formally began a six-month, joint exercise with Philippine forces Thursday in the southern city of Zamboanga. The exercises are expected to be followed by a large-scale operation against the Abu Sayyaf Islamic terrorist group, which is based in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf, which is holding two Americans and a Filipino nurse hostage, is believed to have links to the al-Qaida terror network.

In Zamboanga, acting U.S. Ambassador Robert Fitts told soldiers the training will enhance the capabilities of both sides. He said the goal is to eliminate what he called the scourge of Abu Sayyaf. However, Washington and Manila have stressed that the Americans will not directly fight the Abu Sayyaf group, except in self defense.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version