Paxety Pages

     Hamsiraji Sali, a local commander of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf on the remote southern island of Basilan, says he is getting nearly $20,000 a year from supporters in Iraq.
     "It's so we would have something to spend on chemicals for bomb-making and for the movement of our people," Sali told a reporter this week, renewing earlier claims of support from Iraq

Police inspect the front terminal of the Davao City International Airport

No one claimed responsibility for the blast on the main southern island of Mindanao. But the military has blamed Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for a string of recent attacks, including a car-bombing that killed a woman last month at nearby Cotabato airport.

The MILF -- which, until recently, was involved in peace negotiations -- in turn blamed those attacks on the much smaller and more radical Abu Sayyaf group, which may be linked to Al Qaeda and which has also kidnapped and killed Western tourists in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Abu Sayyaf is, of course, the same group that says it's receiving money from Saddam.

Is this a direct enough link for the pro-Saddam crowd? Will the U.S. and the Philippines reach an agreement on the proper role of U.S. troops in the fight?