Mystery Ship
ZAMBOANGA CITY - A US military ship, escorted by a small gunboat, was spotted Tuesday off the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
Filipino security officials said they were unaware of the presence of the US ship. Nothing on its bow identified what class the vessel was, except a US flag hoisted on the deck.
Local fishermen watched in awe as the ship appeared on the horizon off Basilan Island and sailed past Zamboanga City around 8 a.m.
It was not known if the ship was involved in antiterrorism operations in Mindanao. But the US is helping the Philippine military fight terrorism in the region, where two Jema'ah Islamiyah bomb makers, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, are believed to be hiding.
