COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Jul) - The security of U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney may be in jeopardy after the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) released Thursday details of her next week's visit to the volatile region of Mindanao, where local troops are battling terrorism and insurgency.
The PIA said Kenney will visit Cotabato City in Maguindanao province on July 9 and 10. She will meet with senior Filipino military commanders and members of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team and then inaugurate several U.S. funded projects in the province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region.
It said Kenney will attend the formal launching of the guidebook “Al Khalifa”. She will also be at the turnover ceremony for a USAID/GEM (United States Agency for International Development/Growth with Equity in Mindanao) built road from Shariff Aguak town to Mamasapano town, all in Maguindanao.
The PIA said Kenney will also visit the headquarters of the Army's 6th Infantry Division and the International Monitoring Team. And she will also have a dinner with the Bangsamoro Development Agency and speak at the Women’s Forum in Cotabato City and visit a Catholic radio station in Cotabato City.
Kenney will also inspect the Awang Airport in the province, previously bombed by terrorists. It was unknown of the PIA had permission from the U.S. Embassy to publish Kenney's itinerary, but her past visits to Mindanao were usually unannounced for security reasons.
The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Maoist New People's Army rebels which are fighting the government have previously threatened to attack U.S. targets. (Mindanao Examiner)
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