BY VICTOR REYES

THE Armed Forces yesterday sought to allay fears of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front about the upcoming RP-US Balikatan exercises in their bailiwicks in Mindanao, saying the activities are humanitarian in nature.

The exercises are scheduled Feb. 18 to March 3.

"They might be thinking there would be military exercises in the area. The ones going there are non-combatant, purely civil military operations (personnel)…There are no combat operations exercises there, purely humanitarian missions," said Maj. Ramon Zagala, a spokesman for the Balikatan exercises and concurrent deputy chief of the military’s public information office.

MILF chief negotiator Mohaguer Iqbal earlier expressed apprehension that the exercises would result in human rights violations.

Iqbal has said that MILF would be coordinating with non-government organizations and non-partisan groups "to do something in response to these exercises, such as human rights violations. NGOs play a vital role in these issues confronting the areas."

Zagala said the humanitarian part of the exercises would be pursued in Midsayap and Tacurong towns in Cotabato and Marawi City in Lanao del Norte, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi and Palawan. At least 600 US troops would be involved in the missions.

The field training and staff exercises would be held in the traditional training areas in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Marine Base Ternate and Sangley Point, both in Cavite; Crow Valley in Tarlac; and Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

A total of 6,000 American soldiers and 2,000 Filipino soldiers would be involved in the field training and staff exercises.

On the possibility of MILF rebels harming US soldiers involved in the humanitarian missions in Mindanao, Zagala said that "force protection" had already been considered for the Balikatan exercises.

"Force protection is part of our planning," said Zagala without elaborating.

"We have good intentions in going to Mindanao. We are going there for purely medical missions. Who doesn’t want medical missions and engineering missions?" he asked.