HONOLULU (AP) - Philippine Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said his country needs more American military help to quell Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines but wants the deployment of U.S. forces delayed until their exact role can be determined.
Americans cannot engage in "offensive combat operations'' on Philippine soil, Reyes told t a news conference after meeting Monday with Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific, and before leaving for Washington to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.