U.S. Green Berets Land on Philippine Rebel Island

ISABELA, Philippines (Reuters) - U.S. Green Beret commandos flew into a southern Philippine island infested with Muslim guerrillas Sunday and said although they were on a training mission, they were prepared to fight.

Clouds of dust rose into the air as giant Chinook helicopters carrying the elite strike force of the U.S. army landed at a military base near Isabela, the capital of Basilan island.

Crouched in the bush surrounding the landing pad was an advance guard of U.S. soldiers, fingers on the trigger, to provide security.

The southern Philippines is dotted with Muslim guerrilla and bandit gangs. At least eight people were wounded in three grenade attacks Saturday night and Sunday, said Col. Roland Detabali, a military spokesman.

Earlier Saturday, suspected Abu Sayyaf guerrillas bombed a market on the nearby island of Jolo and lobbed a grenade into a cinema in Zamboanga city, killing at least one person and wounding dozens.

Muslim-dominated Basilan is one of the strongholds of Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, fighting for an Islamic homeland in the south of the Roman Catholic nation but mainly involved in kidnapping and random bombings.

Washington says they are linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and its deployment of troops in the Philippines, a former colony and one of its closest allies in Asia, is the biggest expansion of the war against terror since the campaign in Afghanistan.

Asked about the possibility of clashes with the Abu Sayyaf during the six-month exercises, he said: "I am prepared and my troops are prepared if that happens. Sure, there is risk involved, but I don't feel any undue risk."

About 30 commandos, camouflage backpacks strapped on and M-16 or M-4 carbines at the ready, flew into Basilan Sunday from the nearby city of Zamboanga.

The rest of the 150 to be deployed on the rugged, forested island will be here by the end of the week after which the exercises will begin in earnest.

They will be supported by 500 logistics staff stationed in Zamboanga and in the central city of Cebu.

Some 6,000 Philippine soldiers on Basilan will be trained in counterterrorism, jungle warfare and other forms of combat. Some of the exercises will be in the field, where the possibility of an ambush by the Abu Sayyaf is rated high.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has run into a storm of criticism for allowing U.S. troops into the country for what could turn out to be combat operations. She has replied sharply, calling the critics anti-national and "lovers of terrorists."

American and Philippine officials have insisted the deployment will be only a training exercise, but the U.S. troops will be armed and authorized to defend themselves.

Charge d'Affaires Robert Fitts, the top U.S. diplomat in the Philippines, however said last week that the troops were prepared for casualties.

"I don't say that lightly, I don't mean we are callous about it (but) we understand the implications of coming in," Fitts said. "There is the possibility of hostile contact but I would personally rate that as a possibility and not a probability."

Special Forces has special reasons for wanting a piece of PI terrorists as one of their very special people was murdered there. And Special Forces never forgets or forgives the murder of "Nick" Rowe: Colonel James "Nick" Rowe
February 8, 1938 - April 21, 1989

Some copy from the above link:

"Who was Colonel Nick Rowe? He was first and foremost a Special Forces Officer. He was a West Point graduate. He was a former POW, having suffered for five years at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors before escaping and making his way back to US forces on his own. He was a teacher in that he founded and taught the U.S. Army Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Program which trains military of all branches how to survive if they are separated from their forces, how to evade the enemy and make their way back to friendly forces, how to resist the enemy if captured, and how to plan an escape. He was a devout Christian. He was a real live hero of our times who became a living legend in the Special Forces community until his untimely assassination by guerilla insurgents in the Philippines. Best of all, I had the opportunity to call him my friend.
I met Nick shortly after he was recalled to active duty in 1981 for the purposes of developing and operating the US Army Special Forces SERE Program at Fort Bragg, NC. I had read all about his experiences as a POW in his book "Five Years To Freedom". I wasn't sure what to expect when I was introduced to him, I guess maybe I expected a "John Wayne' type, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by a soft spoken gentleman who had one goal, one mission and that was to better prepare our military to prevent them from ever being captured and should that fail, prepare them to resist and escape capture. I liked him immediately.......
In 1987, Nick now a Lieutenant Colonel, was assigned to the Philippines, where he was given the mission of chief of the army division of the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG) providing counter-insurgency training for the Philippine military. In this capacity, he worked closely with the CIA, and was involved in its nearly decade-old program to penetrate the communist New Peoples' Army (NPA) and its parent communist party in conjunction with Philippine's own intelligence organizations. Nick proved to be the right man for the job quickly earning the respect of the Philippine government and the hatred of the communist guerrillas who hoped to disrupt President Aquino's democratic Philippine government.
By February, 1989, Colonel Rowe had developed his own intelligence information which indicated that the communist were planning a major terrorist act. As a result of the intelligence and his analysis of the situation in the Philippines, Rowe wrote Washington warning that a high-profile figure was about to be hit and that he, himself, was No.2 or No.3 on the terrorist list.
Nick knew that his death would be a real propaganda victory for the communists. The communist guerillas had put a price on his head hoping to kill him and embarrass the Philippine government. In mid-April, 1989, Nick sent his green beret and bible home to his wife for safekeeping along with a letter informing her that he expected the NPA communists would be intensifying their actions with a planned major terrorist acts against U.S. military advisors their most likely action. Nick assured his wife that he was taking every precaution.
On April 21, 1989, Nick was returning to the US Embassy in an armored limousine when hooded members of the communist New Peoples' Army (NPA) attacked his vehicle with automatic weapons. Under normal circumstances these weapons alone would not have been a threat to the occupants of the vehicle. However, "Murphy's Law" of "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong" was in full force. The vehicle's air conditioning had broken down earlier making the inside of the vehicle almost unbearable in the Philippine heat. To compensate but still provide safety, the driver had opened the small window vent to allow fresh air to circulate into the car. Several rounds found their way through the open vent killing Nick instantly.
The US State Department called it a "Random Terrorist Act", however evidence suggests that Nick's Vietnam experience was not coincidental to his selection as a target. In June of 1989, from an NPA stronghold in the hills of Sorsogon, a province in Southern Luzon's Bicol region, senior cadre Celso Minguez told the Far Eastern Economic Review magazine that the communist underground wished to send "a message to the American people" by killing a Vietnam veteran...."

Preface

Mr. Paul Neri of the National Security Agency died on April 29, 1990. Before his death, he requested that I mail the enclosed affidavit to you. Paul Neri was concerned that he would be killed or lose his security clearance if he revealed the affidavit before he died. According tho him, these facts are true. If you investigate and interview the parties named within the affidavit, you will find the information is true. I am simply carrying out the wishes of a good friend, but do not want to get involved any further; therefore, I shall remain anonymous.

- anonymous

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction
By Paul Neri

Several years ago Colonel Cutolo obligated me to bring the enclosed affidavit forward in the event of his death.

In 1980 Col. Cutolo died in an accident while on a military exercise. Just prior to his death he notified me that he was to meet with Michael Harari, an Israeli Mossad agent. It is my belief, though unsubstantiated, that Harari murdered Col. Cutolo because of the information Col. Cutolo possessed.

In the event of Col. Cutolo's death, I was told to discreetly contact Col. Baker which I did. I believe that Col. Cutolo died in his attempt to prove that Operation Watch Tower was not sanctioned by the proper authorities. (see attached affidavit)

Col. Baker enlisted the aid of Col. Nick Rowe, and between Col. Baker, Col. Rowe, and myself, we set out to prove that Harari murdered Col. Cutolo, and that Operation Watch Tower was an unsanctioned illegal operation, which netted Edwin Wilson and Frank Terpil of the CIA a large sum of tax -free dollars.

Prior to getting very far into the investigation, Col. Baker died while in command of the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. Col. Baker did not live long enough to see Edwin Wilson arrested for trafficking arms to Libya.

The Libyan situation has two sides to it. First Wilson claimed top CIA officials approached him to go to Libya under the "guise" of trafficking arms, while in actuality gathering intelligence. In this situation (active duty) special forces at Ft. Bragg were approached by Wilson to go to Libya to train troops. The Special Forces verified the fact that Wilson was with the CIA and went along. The second side was the prosecution's theory of the events at Wilson's trial. The prosecution contended that Wilson didn't work for the CIA and duped the Special Forces into helping him. Wilson was convicted and is currently in the Federal Prison at Marion, Illinois, as I am sure you are aware.

One of the CIA officials Wilson claims were involved in the Libyan situation was Thomas Clines. Thomas Clines is named in Col. Cutolo's affidavit by Wilson as being in charge of Operation Watch Tower. Thomas Clines was recently named in the Iran-contra affair for his failure to declare monies earned in that affair.

Col. Baker, Col. Rowe, and myself concluded after failing to verify through various intelligence contacts the existence of Operation Watch Tower, that the operation was run entirely on the authority of Thomas Clines, Edwin Wilson and Frank Terpil.

A pattern emerged from the Libyan situation in which Clines, Wilson and Terpil were involved, that was identical to Operation Watch Tower. The similarities we noted were:

Thomas Clines named as CIA agent in charge, but behind the scenes. Wilson, as the front man, running the operations. Unauthorized use of U.S. Military Personnel to implement both of the operations. Large sums of money involved either relating to arms or to drug trafficking. U.S. interests don't appear to have been served by either operation. Considering these similarities and the most recent issue of Clines' involvement in withholding taxes stemming from the Iran-contra affair, the possibility of Edwin Wilson being sent to Libya, as he claimed, to gather intelligence is very possible.

Suppose Clines, Wilson and Terpil were each separately involved in Operation Watch Tower, as Col. Cutolo's affidavit sets out. Wilson would not have hesitated to go to Libya for Clines, if Wilson thought it was sanctioned by the company. At the same time, if Clines was trying to erase all ties to Operation Watch Tower and Wilson there would never have been a better opportunity for Clines to rid himself of the connection than by sending Wilson on an unsanctioned mission to Libya.

It's also interesting to note that Frank Terpil, who played a minor role in Operation Watch Tower and who was involved in the Libyan situation, is still at large, but sought by the U.S. authorities. It's possible that Terpil helped Clines set up Wilson.

Wilson claimed during his trial that Clines had a debt to Wilson in excess of a million dollars. Where did Wilson or Clines earn that amount of money legally? It presents a substantial motive for Clines to set Wilson up, aside from the motive of Operation Watch Tower a secret. So the story of Edwin Wilson was reviewed by us. We were left with doubts as to his guilt in the Libyan situation. We had no doubt as to the guilt of Thomas Clines, who we suspect was the master mind behind Operation Watch Tower.

After Col. Baker died, Col. Rowe and I located Hugh B. Pierce, named in Col. Cutolo's affidavit. Pearce was then assigned to the National Air Guard in Wilmington, Delaware.

Chief Warrant Officer Pearce verified that Col. Cutolo had given him a copy of the affidavit Col. Cutolo had written. Mr. Pearce verified that Col. Cutolo had openly discussed the entire affidavit with him. We never established how Mr. Pearce and Col. Cutolo became acquainted. Mr. Pearce also verified that Col. Cutolo was due to meet Michael Harari in England just prior to Col. Cutolo's death. Mr. Pearce told us that Col. Cutolo referred to Pearce as his "ace in the hole." We never established what that meant.

Mr Pearce did refer Col. Rowe to an address at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and the name of Larkin Smith. Smith turned out to be a state politician and Col. Rowe and I made plans to discreetly meet with him in the latter part of 1989, within weeks after our communication with Smith, Col. Rowe who had been assigned to the Philippines was assassinated.

It is interesting to note, that although authorities in the Philippines arrested a person with communist ties and beliefs and charged him with the murder of Col. Rowe, Michael Harari was in the Philippines for three days just prior to and after Col. Rowe's murder. Coincidence? It is my unsubstantiated belief that Harari murdered Col. Rowe or arranged it.

I believe Harari's motive for murdering Col. Rowe was due to Col. Rowe's inquiries about Harari's movements and relationships to Edwin Wilson, Thomas Clines and Manuel Noriega.

In June 1989, Mr Pearce was killed in a helicopter accident. The accident has a story of its own I was told.

Both Col. Rowe and Mr. Pearce agreed to go public, after meeting with Larkin Smith, to call for a full investigation into the events described in Col. Cutolo's affidavit. Both men died prior to the meeting with Smith.

On August 13, 1989, Larkin Smith Died in an airplane accident. Whatever he knew, I assume died with him.

Col. Rowe did verify most of the information that is written in Col. Cutolo's affidavit, which relates to the murder of Elaine Tyree. Col. Rowe's last message to me was to remain silent unless he was killed. Col. Rowe said if something happened to him, to find you or Col. Charles Beckwith. Col. Rowe stated that you had made it known that you were told about the U.S. government facilitating the drug flow out of the Orient. Col. Rowe said that you would believe myself and Col. Cutolo's affidavit before Col. Beckwith would.

Col. Rowe was skeptical of the whole matter until he spoke to Col. Baker, Mr. Pearce and William Tyree who is incarcerated in Walpole Prison, Walpole, Mass. After speaking to Tyree, Col. Rowe received documentation from Tyree which prompted Col. Rowe to make inquiries up to the time of his death. I never reviewed the material Tyree sent to Col. Rowe so I cannot comment on it.

Col. Rowe decided I should stay out of the spotlight and act as an anchor to alert you if anything happened to him.

I have not contacted you prior to now because I am very ill and wanted my final days free of intrigue, which this matter presents. On my death which I understand could be soon, I have left this letter, the affidavit, and instructions with a (NSA) co-worker. This person will find you, if you are still alive when I die. If you're dead this person will locate Col. Beckwith. If you're both dead, only the affidavit signed by Col. Cutolo will be sent to the major newspapers.

There are several suggestions and footnotes to the entire matter.

First; check with your contacts in the intelligence field, it is not uncommon for Israeli Mossad agents to kill Americans who the Israelis deem a threat to the security of Israel. (Inquire off the record of the murder of Pentagon scientist, Dr. Gerald V. Bull to confirm this fact) [Editors note: Bull was shot dead in his doorway 22 March 90 after a rocket gun of large caliber, capable of launching chemicals 3,000 miles to Israel, was intercepted en route to Iraq.]

With the recent invasion of Panama and arrest of Noriega, Operation Watch Tower assumes a new reason to be made public and investigated. It is clear from Col. Cutolo's affidavit that George Bush knew or should have known about Operation Watch Tower. With Mr. Noriega no longer in power, the Bush administration has helped install one president and two Vice-presidents in Panama who will continue to launder the drug money the CIA receives from drug operations world wide as described in Col. Cutolo's affidavit.

How much longer, and how many more will be murdered, die accidentally, or be discredited through incarceration so that the poppies and coca leaves can fund the secret wars of the CIA? Will Latin America be the next secret CIA war as was the case in Vietnam? And how many of our service people will die fighting there?

The final note to the entire matter of Operation Watch Tower is speculation. Col. Baker, Col. Rowe and I believed that Thomas Clines, with the aid of Edwin Wilson and Frank Terpil orchestrated Operation Watch Tower outside the sanctioned "Loop" of the U.S. Military and Intelligence community at large, but with full CIA auspices. We believe Operation Watch Tower was in part, if not full, run on authority of Task Force 157 which Wilson was in charge of.

Col. Rowe discreetly inquired about the mission of Task Force 157 in Feb. 1989, and the exact role of Wilson in Task Force 157. Col. Rowe was curious to learn whether or not the Israeli Intelligence Network in Latin America or the Middle East played any role in the Task Force. Col. Rowe was specifically inquiring as to whether or not Michael Harari or David Kimche were named as parties in this task force. I believe this Feb. inquiry by Col. Rowe tipped off Harari, who then murdered Col. Rowe to keep him from asking questions.

Col. Rowe told me in our last telephone conversation that he would be receiving the documentation necessary to show that Wilson and Harari had known each other. After that call, Col. Rowe was murdered.

Since the Israeli Mossad openly trafficks in arms and drugs in Latin America, a theory that Clines, Wilson, Terpil, Harari, and Noriega engaged in Operation Watch Tower is very easy to believe at this time, especially following the Libyan situation and the Iran-contra affair.

With the deaths of Col. Cutolo, Col. Baker, Col. Rowe (and Col. Robert Bayard named in Col. Cutolo's affidavit) it is hard to believe the deaths of these men are not the work of the Israeli Mossad. It is equally easy to attribute the death of Col. Cutolo, directly to Operation Watch Tower inquiries.

Worst case scenario is that there are three army colonels named in Col. Cutolo's affidavit aside from Col. Cutolo who are now dead-is there a connection? Did Harari and Wilson meet the planes in Panama after they flew out of Colombia with cocaine? Did Clines set Wilson up in the Libyan situation to cut Wilson out of the million dollar profit accumulated from Operation Watch Tower?

To the best of my knowledge, Col. Rowe learned what he did outside regular channels so I don't know the name of the other two soldiers or where their names came from. It's possible that was the information Larkin Smith retained. It all fits, this entire scenario carried over from Operation Watch Tower directly into the Iran-contra affair with the same characters.

For your information a copy of the affidavit will be sent to the New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. This is in the event you desire to go forward to the press with your own statement and facts that you may find while investigating Col. Cutolo's affidavit. The men who have died so far that worked on this project were good men. It can't be proven that their deaths were the result of their involvement in this project, but I believe we owe it to them to investigate this matter and establish the true reason they were killed. They attempted to let the public know what really occurred in Latin America, and in the never-ending drug flow. I'm sorry I am unable to carry the work any further.

This is now your Pandora's Box. I leave it in your hands. I have instructed the affidavit be sent to the newspapers. Hopefully this will help you get it out in the open and investigated if you so choose. I'm sure Col. Rowe would not have referred me to you or Col. Beckwith unless he was sure that you would do your best with getting this information into the open. Good luck.

-Paul Neri

AFFIDAVIT OF EDWARD P. CUTOLO

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